The World Is Negotiable

Rules make us feel safe. Follow them, and you avoid blame. “Hey, I just did what the rule said!” But that mindset is deadly for innovation.

In most big companies, rules are everywhere. Policies for approvals, reporting, budgets, compliance… it’s endless. Yet, you’re expected to innovate. How?

You can’t create new things by following the same rules that created the old ones.

Look at Bitcoin. No one asked permission. They didn’t lobby for blockchain regulation. They didn’t ask banks to play along. They ignored the rules entirely. And by doing that, they created a financial system that couldn’t be controlled by any single authority. They changed the game. Changing the game is part of the fun.

But innovation isn’t always about breaking rules. Sometimes it’s about playing with them.

When I converted my van to a camper in Germany, the rule for approval required a cooking device “attached to the vehicle.” My dad insisted I needed a full kitchen. But I read the rule and saw it differently. It didn’t say “kitchen.” It just said “a cooking device.” So, I screwed a single induction burner to the floor. When the inspector saw it, he smiled, checked the box, and said, “Clever move.”

Playing with the rules makes things more exciting and creative. Sometimes it’s irrational to follow a rule. Especially if it doesn’t hurt anyone. Rules should guide us, not trap us.

Most people follow rules just to avoid trouble. No one wants to be the first to bend or break them. But if you want to innovate, you have to look at rules as a negotiation.

“The world is as negotiable as a flea market in Marrakech. Only a fool doesn’t haggle.” - Derek Sivers

The next time someone says, “We can’t do that. It’s against policy,” ask: “What’s the exact rule? And how can we reinterpret it?”

Innovation isn’t about blindly breaking rules. It’s about knowing the rules so well, you can outsmart them.