Powers of Two: Finding the Essence of Innovation in Creative Pairs

By Joshua Wolf Shenk

Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Politics & Social Sciences

Joshua Wolf Shenk argues that the lone genius is largely a myth and that many creative breakthroughs come from pairs. He examines partnerships such as John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Marie and Pierre Curie and Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Shenk describes how such pairs meet, build trust, divide roles and handle conflict, and what this reveals about the social nature of creativity.

Recommended by 1 person

• Shane Parrish: “Parts of this book were great. I’m not a fan of the cultural mythology around the idea of the lone genius. One interesting note is that pairs develop their own language.”