The Clean/Dank Spectrum

And managing the “sweet spot” threshold and the implications for business and product strategy at all scales

Reference Threshold model for considering cleanliness and dankness

• Clean and dank are like yin/yang, strong opposing forces ⚫️ ⚪️
• Starting point, direction, speed, everything matters
• The sweet spot (a.k.a. “👌”)  is defined as the central point on the clean/dank spectrum. Much like the heisenberg uncertainty principle it is impossible to know both the location of an object on the spectrum AND the speed and direction of that object^[a]. We should also refer to this as the Hoppa  Uncertainty Principle^[b][c]. That is to say, that you can see exactly where something is on the clean/dank spectrum, but you do not know where it will be in the future. It requires constant observation and rebalancing.
• For any company or product, constant observation is required to observe the position on the spectrum, and thus a constant evaluation of the direction of the company or product is required to remain in the sweet spot threshold.
• To what extent is approaching the sweet spot asymptotic?
• Self-awareness is inversely proportional to the size of the organization
• Changing direction requires defining a new origin point on the spectrum
• The sweet spot is a constantly moving target
• Thus the ideal approach is to detect the appropriate direction and speed, as such that you always stay in consistent distance from the sweet-spot, albeit never fully reaching it^[d]
• Vector is unidirectional and cannot be reversed in any instance
• There is a point of no return once you cross the sweet spot -- the event horizon.
• Unpredictability vs. consistency

Charting the spectrum:

^[e]

Notes on the spectrum:

• For any given spectrum, you can identify optimal zone of opportunity
• Depending on the gradient of spectrum will determine the ideal level of clean and dank.
• In many cases, it could be that more cleanliness is appropriate than dankness, and vice versa. It depends on the gradient on the curve

Example Vector:

^[f]

The third dimension in this instance is time, which is critical in determining the speed of a given vector on the spectrum

New developments in this theory

Stankness (as discovered by Elon) itself is actually a key point on the spectrum, as it gives dank something to be related to. Dankness in and of itself may actually be the sweet spot. At least this point in time

Quote from Toby Shorin

“Between the zone of normalcy and the zone of experimentation, there is a sweet spot^[g]. Just outside what is considered normal yet familiar enough to be comprehended, this is where good marketers work. When Weiden Kennedy says they want to capture “lightning in a bottle” this is what they mean: to take something just outside of mainstream culture, aestheticize it, and turn it into marketing for a consumer product. It doesn’t matter how much of a commodity the product is—this works for makeup and sneakers as well as it does for high-performance cars.”

System thresholds

Building upon the stability principles (Fig. 1), we define the system thresholds (Fig. 2).

It is therefore imperative to know where the hump begins, so that you can carefully calibrate your speed and direction, such that you avoid falling into the valley.

Similarities to black holes: ensuring you do not pass the point on staleness.

Once you progress towards cleanliness, it is impossible to return to dankness. You can only move in one direction.