A shorter path through both volumes

The essential ideas.
Chapter summaries.

Start with the points that matter, the decisions to make, and the diagrams that make them clear. Read one chapter in minutes. Go deeper whenever you need to.

Free PDF · 8x10-inch format · 24 chapters · About 80 minutes of reading

Find your footing.

Use a brief before a meeting, to revisit an idea, or to decide where to spend your reading time.

Follow the thread.

Each brief links back to the relevant sections of the full chapter, with space for the context and examples.

Take it with you.

Download a chapter PDF or keep all the briefs together in the collected Visual Companion.

Volume I · Part I — The Decisions

  1. 01

    What Computing Costs

    First edition

    4 min read · 5 diagrams

  2. 02
  3. 03

Volume I · Part II — Understanding the Work

  1. 04
  2. 05
  3. 06

    Built-In Tools

    First edition

    3 min read · 0 diagrams

  4. 07
  5. 08
  6. 09
  7. 10

    Specialized Hardware

    First edition

    4 min read · 0 diagrams

  8. 11
  9. 12
  10. 13

    Measuring Value

    First edition

    3 min read · 0 diagrams

Volume II · Part III — Demand and Uncertainty

  1. 14

    Seasonal Variation

    First edition

    3 min read · 1 diagram

  2. 15
  3. 16

Volume II · Part IV — Running the Practice

  1. 17
  2. 18

    Reserve Capacity

    First edition

    3 min read · 0 diagrams

  3. 19
  4. 20
  5. 21

    Multiple Markets

    First edition

    4 min read · 3 diagrams

  6. 22
  7. 23

    What Scale Brings

    First edition

    3 min read · 0 diagrams

  8. 24

    Markets for Compute

    First edition

    3 min read · 3 diagrams