Why Are Silicon Valley Types Obsessed With Archimedes?

Ever heard of a eureka moment?

You probably have. Maybe you’ve even had one. 

Well, we say “eureka” because of the Greek polymath Archimedes. 

He famously ran around shouting the word after discovering the law of buoyancy while having a bath.

But that’s not why the ancient scholar is getting name-dropped by the world’s biggest innovators today.  

It’s because he proved something else in the 3rd century BC: the principle of levers.  

Archimedes’ geometric reasoning showed that you can lift anything using a lever if your calculations are on point. 

In other words, perfect leverage equals maximum impact. 

So today, the term “Archimedes lever” describes a unique talent or skill a business has to change the world. 

Because as the great mathematician himself put it, “Give me a lever and a place to stand, and I will move the earth”.