“The Second Mouse Gets the Cheese”
- Analyzing specific failure cases born from a culture of speed obsession.
- Exploring the scientific impact of ‘impatience’ on the brain and creativity.
- Suggesting practices of ‘intentional slowness’ applicable to work and life.
The Idol of Speed: A Warning from the Galaxy Note 7
In August 2016, the tech industry warmly welcomed Samsung’s new ambitious product, the Galaxy Note 7. Armed with innovative features like iris recognition, waterproofing, and an enhanced S Pen, this smartphone was not just a new product; it was a culmination of ‘good ideas’ that could change the market landscape and received explosive praise right after its release. I vividly remember watching the launch news with high expectations for the new technology.
However, the glory was short-lived. Just weeks after its launch, shocking news began to emerge from around the world about Note 7 devices exploding while charging. The device, once a symbol of cutting-edge technology, quickly turned into a dangerous weapon and was designated as a banned item on airplanes. Ultimately, Samsung had to make the painful decision of an unprecedented global recall and early discontinuation.
The Galaxy Note 7 incident is a profound parable about our times that cannot be dismissed as a mere corporate blunder. It serves as a strong warning against the idol of ‘speed’ that justifies everything in the name of innovation. This incident vividly illustrates how impatience for the top spot and the obsession with outpacing competitors can destroy even the most near-perfect ideas. This article aims to dissect the ’trap of speed’ that dominates modern society, starting from the symbolic failure of the Galaxy Note 7.
Part 1: The Culture of Speed Obsession that Dominates Us
What cultural soil allowed failures like the Galaxy Note 7 to occur? It is the ‘fast is equal to good’ zeitgeist. From national development projects to the core ideology of Silicon Valley, speed has been regarded as the sole measure of success.
Silicon Valley’s Mantra: “Move Fast and Break Things”
The slogan that most succinctly captures the spirit of Silicon Valley, the heart of the modern tech industry, is “Move Fast and Break Things”, proposed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. This motto symbolizes an aggressive startup culture that prioritizes rapid innovation and bold disruption over caution.
However, this radical motto faced inevitable revision. In 2014, Zuckerberg officially changed the motto to “Move Fast with Stable Infrastructure”. This was an acknowledgment of the reality that the costs of ‘breaking’ had become too great to bear. As Facebook grew, even minor bugs began to affect billions of users, and the costs of fixing these issues started to outweigh the benefits gained from speed.
Korea’s Survival Strategy: The Light and Dark of ‘Quick Quick’ Culture
If Silicon Valley’s speed worship stems from corporate philosophy, Korea’s ‘quick quick’ culture is a product of national survival strategy. The historical background of needing to achieve rapid growth from the ruins of the Korean War turned ‘speed’ into a national virtue. This ‘quick quick’ spirit became the driving force behind rapid economic growth and the myth of an IT powerhouse, demonstrating remarkable efficiency in crisis situations.
However, behind this dazzling growth lies the shadow of terrible tragedies. When safety and basic principles are ignored in the pursuit of speed and efficiency, the results can be catastrophic. The collapse of the Seongsu Bridge in 1994 and the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store in 1995 are representative human disasters born from the ‘quick quick’ culture. Both tragedies resulted from ignoring safety in pursuit of shortened construction periods, cost reductions, and maximized profits.
Part 2: Three Narratives of Failure Brought by Impatience
How does speed obsession lead to concrete failures? Let’s deeply analyze three cases from different industries that illustrate the disasters caused by impatience.
Unplayable Masterpiece: ‘Cyberpunk 2077’
‘Cyberpunk 2077’ was an ambitious project from CDPR, the developer that gained global fame with ‘The Witcher 3’, but the game released in December 2020 was far from the promises made. The development process was marred by extreme ‘crunch culture’, with developers suffering from inhumane long hours. Ultimately, the game was released filled with bugs that made it unplayable and severe performance degradation, leading Sony to take the unprecedented step of removing the game from the PlayStation Store.
A 2 Trillion Won Gamble Misreading the Times: Quibi
Quibi was a short-form content platform that attracted about 2 trillion won in investment from Hollywood moguls and Silicon Valley experts. However, the ‘big success or nothing’ strategy resulted in pouring massive capital without adequately verifying market demand. To make matters worse, the service launched in April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic when the primary target audience of commuters was staying home. Ultimately, it faced the tragedy of shutting down the service just six months after launch.
A Promise That Exploded Itself: Revisiting the Galaxy Note 7
The Galaxy Note 7 had a clear goal of preempting the market before Apple’s new iPhone. The ‘good idea’ of fitting a larger battery into a thinner design was conceived within this strategic impatience. The seeds of tragedy stemmed from this impatience, leading to a comprehensive failure in the execution phase. Overly ambitious designs resulted in defects that compressed internal battery components to dangerous levels, and the hasty recall process completely shattered consumer trust.
Anatomy of Impatient Failures
| Case | Cause of Speed Pressure | Failure and Result |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Note 7 | Market preemption over competitors (Apple) | Physical explosion due to reckless design and hasty manufacturing. Global recall and brand image damage. |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | Investor expectations and year-end sales targets | An unfinished game released after a ‘crunch culture’. Consumer backlash, store removal, and reputation decline. |
| Quibi | Pressure for early large-scale success due to massive initial investment | Launching a product without market validation during a pandemic. Service termination and investment loss after six months. |
Part 3: How Impatient Minds Kill Innovation
Contrary to the common belief that time pressure enhances creativity, most scientific studies point in the opposite direction. Under pressure, our brains tend to take the most familiar and linear thought paths, which results in suppressing the exploratory and divergent thinking essential for true innovation.
Are You Also? Diagnosing ‘Hurry Sickness’
The speed obsession in modern society leaves individuals with a chronic condition known as ‘hurry sickness’. Do you often feel a sense of anxiety as if you are always pressed for time? This goes beyond simply being in a hurry; it signifies a chronic state of anxiety and compulsion that feels like being constantly chased by time. Hurry sickness disrupts the executive functions of the brain, such as concentration and decision-making, leading to frequent mistakes and mental exhaustion (burnout). Ironically, the more we shout ‘faster’, the slower organizations become in the long run, moving further away from innovation.
Part 4: How to Escape the Trap of Speed: Intentional Slowness
What is the antidote to escape the trap of speed? It is not unconditional slowness, but rather ‘intentional slowness’ that is needed.
The Philosophy of Slowness: The Slow Food Movement
The ‘Slow Food’ movement, which began in Italy in 1986, was initiated to protect biodiversity, tradition, and the joy of eating against the homogenization of fast food. This movement proposes a broader philosophical suggestion to choose long-term values such as sustainability, quality, and community over short-term metrics like speed, cost, and quantity.
Practice of Slowness: ‘Deep Work’
Cal Newport’s concept of ‘Deep Work’ is a specific methodology for modern workers. He defines ‘Deep Work’ as professional activities performed in a state of undistracted, complete concentration that push cognitive abilities to their limits. Newport’s core argument is that the ability to engage in deep work is becoming increasingly rare due to constant distractions from digital devices, while the economic value of that ability is growing exponentially.
Comparison: Speed-First vs. Thought-First
What difference does the speed obsession of ‘faster’ make compared to the intentional slowness of ‘deeper’? By comparing the key differences between these two approaches, it becomes clear what we should choose.
| Item | Speed-First (Move Fast) | Thought-First (Deep Work) |
|---|---|---|
| Core Goal | Market preemption, short-term growth | Quality, sustainability, long-term value |
| Main Activities | Multitasking, quick decision-making | Single-tasking, deep immersion and reflection |
| Results (Advantages) | Quick market entry, initial attention | High completeness, strong brand trust |
| Results (Disadvantages) | Frequent mistakes, burnout, quality degradation | Difficulty in initial market preemption, long development periods |
| Representative Cases | Galaxy Note 7, Cyberpunk 2077 | Slow Food Movement, Luxury Craftsmanship |
Conclusion: How to Become the Second Mouse to Get the Cheese
We often take the proverb “The early bird catches the worm” as a guideline for success. However, there is a backstory to this proverb that we often forget. It is “The second mouse gets the cheese”. This means that only after the first mouse triggers the trap and becomes a victim can the second mouse safely claim the cheese.
The key points explored in this article are as follows:
- Speed obsession is the enemy of innovation. The impatience for the top spot can destroy even good ideas like the Galaxy Note 7.
- The cost of ‘quick quick’ culture is severe. From Silicon Valley to Korean society, a culture that worships speed ultimately leads to tragic outcomes like burnout and major disasters.
- Intentional slowness is true competitiveness. Like the philosophies of ‘Deep Work’ or ‘Slow Food’, uninterrupted deep immersion and reflection create excellent results.
In the complex and uncertain modern society, truly sustainable success is often not the domain of the ‘first bird’ that rushes in. Rather, it belongs to the ‘second mouse’ that carefully observes, learns from the mistakes of those who moved first, and acts intentionally. Great ideas are born only when they meet the time and deep contemplation they deserve.
Today, why not choose one of your most important tasks, eliminate all distractions, and practice ‘Deep Work’? A small change can lead to remarkable results.
References
- A Brief History of Samsung’s Troubled Galaxy Note 7 Smartphone Time Magazine
- Move fast and break things? a small studio
- [Autonomous Era] Korea’s ‘Quick Quick’ Culture and COVID-19 Ulsan Daily
- [Gyeongsang Commentary] The ‘Quick Quick’ Culture of Koreans Gyeongsang Ilbo
- How Developers can learn from the mistakes of Cyberpunk 2077 dev.to
- The Rise and Fall of Quibi, Challenging TikTok and Netflix, Shutting Down in 7 Months Brand Brief
- The Impatience that Exploded the Galaxy Note 7 Chosun Biz
- Time Pressure and Creativity in Organizations: A Longitudinal Field Study. Harvard Business School
- The Cognitive and Emotional Consequences of Hurry Sickness Holy Family University
- Slow Food Wikipedia
- Book Summary: Deep Work by Cal Newport Sam Thomas Davies