Organism
Cancer Cells
TL;DR
Cancer cells serve as the book's most powerful cautionary example of what happens when growth controls fail.
Cancer cells serve as the book's most powerful cautionary example of what happens when growth controls fail. They appear not as a metaphor but as a literal mechanism: cells that ignore contact inhibition, optimize purely for growth, metastasize indiscriminately, and raise resources continuously from the bloodstream.
The cancer cell example is central to the book's critique of 'grow or die' business thinking. The author explicitly states: 'Cancer cells are just startups that forgot to stop growing.' WeWork and Theranos are cited as organizational examples of this cellular pathology.
Notable Traits of Cancer Cells
- Ignores contact inhibition
- Optimizes purely for growth
- Metastasizes indiscriminately
- Raises resources continuously