The Origins of Efficiency
The Origins of Efficiency by Brian Potterby Brian Potter
Shares rank 12 of 51 history books by recommenders
Recommended as a readable history of manufacturing efficiency, including the Model T path. Commenters find it a useful reference and enjoyable to read.
Recommended as a readable history of manufacturing efficiency, including the Model T path. Commenters find it a useful reference and enjoyable to read.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Relevant to manufacturing and industrial history
“one of the interesting things it talks about is the path of the Model T”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Tesla is committing automotive suicide” “Still a pretty good reference IMO for people working in manufacturing.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” “check Stripe Press latest on indutrial automation”
Comment from 11 Jun 2026 in “Why AI hasn't replaced software engineers, and won't” Recommended as a book on efficiency
“The book "Origins of Efficiency" by Brian Potter discusses this.”
Comment from 15 May 2026 in “The Sigmoids Won't Save You” “You may like this book called The Origins of Efficiency”
Comment from 1 Jan 2026 in “Who Invented the Transistor?” “Here's a good book on the topic that you may enjoy”
Comment from 13 Oct 2026 in “The United Kingdom generates less electricity per person than in the 1970s” Enjoyed by readers
“Conversely I rather enjoyed The Origins of Efficiency”
Comment from 7 Oct 2026 in “How machines learned precision” “Here's a good book on the topic that you may enjoy”
Comment from 13 Oct 2026 in “The United Kingdom generates less electricity per person than in the 1970s”
Other history books people recommend
The four most recommended other history books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dawn of Everythingby David Graeber and David Wengrow | 23 | 5 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Cadillac Desertby Marc Reisner | 18 | 0 | 100% | 11 | — | Approved |
| The Boxby Marc Levinson | 16 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Sapiensby Yuval Noah Harari | 13 | 9 | 59% | 8 | — | — |
| The Origins of Efficiencyby Brian PotterThis page | 7 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
All 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Here's a good book on the topic that you may enjoy”
“Conversely I rather enjoyed The Origins of Efficiency”
“check Stripe Press latest on indutrial automation”
“The book "Origins of Efficiency" by Brian Potter discusses this.”
“one of the interesting things it talks about is the path of the Model T”
“You may like this book called The Origins of Efficiency”
“Still a pretty good reference IMO for people working in manufacturing.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.