The Red Queen Rule

It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then. —Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

There’s a scene in Alice in Wonderland where the Red Queen tells Alice, “It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!” While Lewis Carroll imagined a whimsical world, this line perfectly captures the spirit of modern innovation. In today’s world, standing still is falling behind, and if you want to lead, you must push harder, faster, and smarter than everyone else.

Let’s take a closer look at a few compelling examples.

Intel vs. Nvidia

In the last years, no rivalry has shown the need to run twice as fast more than Intel and Nvidia. For decades, Intel was the king of processors, powering personal computers and data centers alike. But in the early 2020s, Nvidia made a decisive leap into AI computing, transforming from a graphics card company to an AI hardware powerhouse.

Intel, focused on CPUs, found itself lagging behind in the GPU market, which became central to AI and machine learning. Nvidia didn’t just run faster—they shifted the whole race by making their GPUs the backbone of new technologies, from autonomous driving to cloud computing.

By 2020, Nvidia overtook Intel in market value, signaling a major shift. Intel’s efforts to catch up have been significant, but Nvidia’s foresight, combined with its ability to run twice as fast, set the pace for the future.

Shopify vs. Amazon

In the world of e-commerce, Amazon is a giant that seems unbeatable, but in the last several years, Shopify has emerged as a formidable contender by running a different race altogether. While Amazon focused on building a vast, centralized marketplace, Shopify empowered individual entrepreneurs by giving them the tools to create their own online stores.

During the pandemic, Shopify’s approach exploded in popularity. Small businesses flocked to their platform, needing an online presence more than ever before. While Amazon was running full speed, absorbing more customers into its marketplace, Shopify was running faster in the opposite direction—advocating decentralization and individual business autonomy.

Shopify didn’t just keep pace with Amazon; it became the go-to platform for merchants looking to control their own brand experience. The result? Shopify's stock surged by over 150%, with its market value nearing $107 billion. Shopify’s ability to pivot quickly, especially during a global crisis, proved that running twice as fast doesn’t always mean running in the same direction as everyone else. Sometimes, it means changing the race entirely.

Zoom vs. Zoom

Another striking example is Zoom, the company that became synonymous with virtual communication during the pandemic. Before 2020, Zoom was one of many video conferencing tools, with competition from giants like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Cisco Webex. But when the world abruptly shifted to remote work and learning, Zoom sprinted ahead in a way that left its competitors scrambling to catch up.

Zoom’s simple, user-friendly interface, combined with its ability to handle massive demand, catapulted it from obscurity to necessity almost overnight. In March 2020, the company’s user base jumped from 10 million daily participants to over 200 million in just a few months. The company wasn’t just running faster—it was running so fast that "Zoom" became a verb.

But here’s the twist: after its meteoric rise, Zoom faced the challenge of keeping pace with itself. Competitors quickly enhanced their platforms, adding features like virtual backgrounds and improved security—areas where Zoom initially lagged. The company had to run even faster to maintain its lead, improving security measures, enhancing collaboration features, and expanding its offerings to avoid becoming a pandemic one-hit wonder.

Unpacking the Red Queen Rule

What can we learn from these stories? In the world of innovation, standing still isn’t an option. Intel, once a leader, found itself running in place while Nvidia sprinted ahead. Shopify raced alongside Amazon but thrived by running a completely different race. Zoom exploded in popularity but had to keep running at breakneck speed to stay relevant. These stories show that innovation doesn’t just require speed—it requires adaptability, foresight, and the willingness to disrupt yourself before the competition does.

In the spirit of the Red Queen, it’s not enough to keep pace with competitors. To get ahead, you must be willing to push beyond what’s comfortable, to run at least twice as fast, and sometimes in a completely different direction. The leaders of tomorrow are those who recognize when the track shifts and don’t just try to keep up—they jump ahead.

The innovation race is relentless, and the finish line is always moving, but the rule remains the same: if you’re not running twice as fast, you’re falling behind.