The Pattern of Progress

A RethinkX-published study of roughly 1,500 historical inflection points, arguing that adoption curves for radically cheaper technologies repeat a common shape.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the “best history book” thread. The disruption-curve argument applied to the historical record rather than to a forecast.

Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @typesfast asking “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025). The full recovered list lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet).

Kyle’s line was the bare “The Pattern of Progress”. Read as Bradd Libby’s RethinkX book rather than Donald Kubelka’s self-help title of the same name, on the strength of the thread’s subject. Page count could not be verified and is omitted; flagged confidence: low.

Connections

• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• Progress · Technological Innovation — the subject.