Why people recommend it
Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less by Leidy Klotz investigates the pervasive human cognitive bias toward addition and explores why removing elements often yields better solutions across engineering, business, and daily life. On The Ezra Klein Show, Kristen Soltis Anderson recommended the book as her top choice to help readers understand our instinctive reliance on adding things. Adam Alter similarly recommended the work on The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, connecting its philosophical principles to the concept of friction audits. On People I (Mostly) Admire, Sendhil Mullainathan praised the newly released book for its refreshing perspective, which prompted host Steve Levitt to give the text a second chance after initially dismissing it as standard pop science. During an interview episode on the same podcast, Steve Levitt and Leidy Klotz discussed the extensive academic research underpinning the book, exploring how acknowledging the power of subtraction can reshape problem-solving strategies. Across these discussions, hosts and guests consistently highlighted Subtract as a transformative guide that challenges conventional productivity advice by proving that the best solutions frequently involve doing less rather than more.
Who recommended it
- Steve Levitt Discussed
- Kristen Soltis Anderson Recommended
- Adam Alter Recommended
- Sendhil Mullainathan Recommended
Steve Levitt — 8 mentions
“with Steve Levitt lady summarizes his research ideas in a new book it's called subtract the untapped science of less”
“Leidy summarizes his research ideas in a new book called "Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less."”
“Now, being totally honest, when I first saw Leidy's book, I dismissed it as schlock—one of the hundreds of mediocre pop science books published every year.”
“But my friend Sandal Mullainathan, who you might remember from two previous episodes of this podcast, said, "No, Leidy's book is different.”
“So I gave" Subtract" a second chance and I realized, yes, there actually is something here.”
“Now, you've written a book called "Subtract" and you've done a ton of academic research on the topic.”
“I also dislike many of the other examples in his book, but I give Leidy credit for good taste in this discussion.”
“In a subtle way, the message I took away from your book is that don't let the fact that everybody else is additive trick you into being additive too.”
Kristen Soltis Anderson — 1 mention
“one is subtract by Lighty clots it's a great book that helps people understand why”
Adam Alter — 1 mention
“and there's a great book called subtract by Lighty clots that's on this exact topic the friction audit itself is a sort of philosophical version of that idea”
Sendhil Mullainathan — 1 mention
“there's this great book by Lighty clots it's called subtract it just came out it's awesome”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I tell the story in the book, but he was basically sitting there thinking about how to lighten the drivetrain and then he's like, "What if I just take the whole thing away?"”
“The one I use in my book is actually less lofty; it's more just about my own house.”
“One of the examples I use in the book is San Francisco's Embarcadero Freeway.”