Tobacco Mosaic Virus

Tobacco Mosaic Virus was the first virus ever discovered (1892) and remains a model organism for virology. It's a simple, elegant molecular machine: just RNA wrapped in protein, yet it can hijack plant cellular machinery to produce millions of copies. Farmers in the 18th century unknowingly spread it by touching plants after using tobacco products.

TMV demonstrates simplicity as competitive advantage. It carries no enzymes, no metabolism, no complexity beyond the minimum needed for replication. It outsources all the hard work to host cells. The business parallel is asset-light business models: companies that own nothing but coordinate everything. They don't compete through capability accumulation but through insertion into existing value chains.