Failure, seen properly, is just a recognition of fast learning.
失败如果理解恰当的话 在某种意义上也是一种快速学习
So I have training wheels, which I try to put on this concept within X, to try to help everyone get comfortable with the idea.
所以我会用“辅助轮” 即我尽量把这个概念放到X中来 以此尽量让每个人都能舒服地接受这个想法
Here's an example. You're working on a project.
例如 你正致力于一个项目
It either has an Achilles' heel or it doesn't.
它可能存在某个薄弱点 也可能没有
Would we like to discover that Achilles' heel if it exists, now or later?
如果它真的存在的话 我们想现在去发现那个薄弱点还是先放放以后再说
If you say later, you've just signed up to be intellectually dishonest.
如果你想以后再说 其实你就签了理性欺骗的条约

You're not really going to sign up for that.
当然不是真的去签条约
As soon as you acknowledge that should it have an Achilles' heel,
一旦你承认它应该存在某薄弱点
we'd like to know about that now rather than later,
我们就该知道 要现在处理而非以后再说
then it becomes the right way for us to behave to check to see if it has an Achilles' heel, now, right now.
那 对我们来说 该做的就是去行动 去检查看看是否真的有薄弱点 就是现在 立刻马上
If it has the Achilles' heel, we'll end the project and we'll go find something better to do.
如果真有薄弱点 我们就可以结束计划 然后找更好的去做
And if it doesn't have an Achilles' heel, we can move forward with that increased level of excitement and certainty that we're on the right track.
如果没有呢 我们能够更加兴致高昂地去实施项目并且坚信自己选择的路是正确的
Let's pretend that you are setting out to make a time machine at X and you have two choices.
我们假设 你正打算在X实验室造时光机 你有两个选择
One, to cause a pebble or a mouse to move backwards one minute in time, to actually cause some small amount of time travel, or
一是让一个卵石或者一只老鼠 回到一分钟前 事实上就是进行小范围的时间旅行 或者
to design the user interface for the cockpit of the time machine.
为时光机驾驶舱设计用户交互界面
I think we can all agree in this particular example that working on the user interface for the cockpit,
我想 这个特例中我们都会同意 选择致力于驾驶舱的用户交互界面
once you get it done it will look like you've made progress
一旦你成功 就大有成就了
but you haven't, you've made motion.
但你没有成功 就只是动动机器而已
We can all sit there, look at your cockpit and say the chances that we succeed are exactly the same as they were before.
我们可以一起坐这儿 看你的驾驶舱 而且可以精确地说 我们成功几率跟之前人们的成功率完全一样
We've not actually made any progress because all of the risk was on the part you chose not to do.
事实上我们没有任何进步 因为全部风险都在你没选的那一项里
What you should have done first was the other one.
你首先应该做的是另一项
Our shorthand for this at X is we joke #MonkeyFirst.
在X实验室 为了好记 我们戏称它为“猴子第一”
Similar to the time machine, if you're trying to get a monkey to stand on a pedestal ten feet high and recite Shakespeare monologues
跟时光机差不多 如果你正尝试让一只猴子站在 某10英尺高的台座上并背诵莎士比亚的独白
and you have a choice between training the monkey first and building the pedestal,
而且你可以选择先训练猴子还是先建基台
if you build the pedestal first when your boss walks by he's like, " Hey nice pedestal!"
如果你选择先建基台 你的老板可能走过来很高兴地说 嘿 很漂亮的基台
And then you feel good.
你很开心
You just did something useful, you just got a little bit of attaboy.
你刚刚做了很有用的事 并且得到了一点儿赞许
That's why people do that.
这就是人们会选择先这么做的原因了
But you've utterly wasted your company's money if you build the pedestal first.
但是如果先建高台的话 你已经完全浪费公司资金了啊
Because all of the hard part is getting the monkey to recite Shakespeare.
因为最难的部分是让猴子背诵莎士比亚
If you can get the monkey to recite Shakespeare
如果你能让猴子背诵莎士比亚
we can always build the pedestal afterwards.
之后我们总有机会建高台的
But if you can't, thank goodness we didn't spend a moment or a penny building what turned out it to be a useless pedestal.
但是如果你不能让猴子背诵诗词 有幸的是我们没有浪费任何时间和金钱去建设一个没有任何使用价值的高台
Now, in order to get a culture at X to do that, we need to reward people when they do it.
现在 为了让人理解并践行X的这一文化 我们需要在人们这么做时奖赏他们
So when someone raises their hand and says,
所以当有人举手说
" My project looks really good but I've discovered
“我的项目看起来真很好 但是我发现
I don't think it's going to work out,
它可能没法实现
because of this subtle but important issue,"
因为它存在着一个看起来很微小但是很重要的问题
and those ten people now need to find a new jobs.
而且那十个人现在需要找个新工作了
If we say, " Sucks to be you, " no one at X will ever again raise their hand and say that.
如果我们说“你们简直糟透了”X里永远不会再有人举手这么说了
But if we say to them, " Hey, that was awesome.
但是如果我们对他们说“嘿 那很让人敬畏了
What incredible intellectual honesty you just displayed, and good critical thinking to have discovered this.
你表现的理性诚实以及发现这问题的良好批判思维 多么令人难以置信啊
We're going to work super hard to find all of you new jobs somewhere at X or at Alphabet.
我们将会超级努力地为你们所有人找到在X或者Alphabet里的新工作
We're going to give you all bonuses for having ended your project so thoughtfully.
因你们如此贴心地结束项目 我们会付全部的奖金
Take long vacations and then when you're done, come back and join another project here,
给你们放个长假 结束后回来加入这里的其他项目
and get going again with extra levels of passion, because now you're working on something.
并继续以饱满的热情再开始工作因为你享受你正致力于的事
that you don't secretly know is going to fail at some point in the future,
你不会再隐隐觉得未来在某处会失败了
which is how you would have felt if you had stuck on your old project."
那种如果你执着于 老项目就会有的那种感觉”
People are sad when they have to end their projects.
到他们不得不放弃项目的时候 人们会伤心的
They don't end of their projects lightly.
他们结束得并不轻松
But because they've come to understand that ending their project is just being intellectually honest,
但他们已经明白结束项目仅仅是变得理性诚实
it's driving for high efficiency, which is why we use the word factory and tie it to moonshots.
这是为了高效的推进 这就是为什么我们把“工厂”跟月球发射器联系起来
Because we're trying to systematize innovation.
因为我们正尝试系统创新
We're trying to drive to high efficiency innovation.
我们正尽力推动高效创新的实现
And that can best be done by being honest when you're on the wrong track.
而且要实现它 最好的办法就是你走错路时要诚实
And that is failing fast.
这就是快速失败