Books
Books in Preparation
In an AI-accelerated world where every strategy is a 6-ER trade-off, leaders need frameworks that survive pressure rather than collapse under it. The work in progress examines how chosen constraints create the only moats capital cannot buy — starting with the 38-year case study of TSMC.
For readers of Chip War · Only the Paranoid Survive · The Goal
TSMC: How Constraints Build Competitive Moats
How TSMC Turned Constraints into Competitive Advantage
TSMC's moat was not built by vision. In 1987, no investor would fund a manufacturer that would compete with its own customers. That constraint forced the pure foundry commitment. 38 years of steep learning curves later, no competitor can replicate it with capital.
For publishing enquiries →A Forthcoming Book
TSMC: How Constraints Build Competitive Moats is a forthcoming book examining how TSMC turned structural constraints into a competitive advantage that capital alone cannot replicate. The book draws on the 1987 financing constraint, the pure-play foundry commitment, and 38 years of accumulated learning curves in advanced-node manufacturing.
The framework underlying the book has been developed across an ongoing essay series for Forbes Business Council. Publication details will follow as the manuscript reaches final preparation.
Recent Thinking That Informs This Volume
This book grows out of a body of published thinking. The four Forbes articles below represent the conceptual track of the argument, each contributing one pillar of the framework the book develops in depth.
-
June 2, 2026 · Forbes Business Council
The Pressure Moat Trap: Why The Strongest Companies Build Two Kinds Of Pressure
Introduces the Dual-Origin Theory of Pressure Moats — the formal naming of the book's central thesis. Read on Forbes → -
April 23, 2026 · Forbes Business Council
The Cost Trap: Why Efficiency Programs Often Destroy Competitive Moats
How short-term cost optimization can erode the very disciplines that built the moat. See on this site → -
February 11, 2026 · Forbes Business Council
The 6-ER Framework: Why Cheaper, Faster, Better Won't Save Supply Chains in 2026
The operational diagnostic beneath Pressure Moat — six dimensions of competitive advantage. See on this site → -
March 20, 2026 · Forbes Business Council
The Technology Trap: Why Digital Transformation Often Fails to Build Competitive Moats
Why technology alone does not build advantage — and what does. See on this site →
A fifth Forbes article in this series is in preparation, addressing why companies often delay recognizing the gap between External and Internal pressure moats.
Stay Updated
Get notified when the book launches
Be the first to know when TSMC: How Constraints Build Competitive Moats is available. No spam. One email. Unsubscribe anytime.