Active Transport
The movement of molecules across a cell membrane against their concentration gradient, requiring energy (typically ATP). Unlike passive diffusion, active transport allows cells to accumulate resources that would otherwise disperse.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 3 chapters:
"There's no negotiating. The Mechanism: This is a cell membrane with low permeability and high selectivity. Like a cell that uses active transport pumps to bring in only specific molecules, Apple actively chooses what enters its ecosystem. Remember our nightclub bouncer? Apple hired the most se..."
"...s) - Sugars are valuable (6 ATP required to fix one CO₂ via Calvin cycle) - Volume is lower (concentrated 10-30%, so less volume needed than water) - Active transport enables precision (direct sugars to growing fruit, not random distribution) The evidence: - Girdling experiments: Remove bark (contains phloem) ..."
"...anes that increase effective surface area, or very low metabolic rates. Multicellular organisms solved the scaling problem with circulatory systems: active transport via pumps (hearts) and branching networks (vasculature) deliver resources faster than diffusion. But circulatory networks themselves obey scaling law..."
Biological Context
Cells use active transport to maintain internal conditions different from their environment. Sodium-potassium pumps maintain electrochemical gradients essential for nerve signaling. Nutrient transporters concentrate essential molecules even when external concentrations are low. This energy expenditure is the cost of controlling internal composition.
Business Application
Active transport parallels premium talent acquisition: to attract resources against their 'natural gradient' (where market forces would otherwise take them), you must expend energy (compensation, culture, opportunity). Passive recruitment only attracts what flows naturally; active recruitment captures what you specifically need.