Topics
The 25 most-shared posts about Lessons on X, and what they have in common
308 posts about Lessons in the library, 1M likes between them. The 25 that travelled furthest, how they open, and what the analysis says they share.
Rests on:the library,the post,the post,the post,the post,the post,the post
There are 308 posts about Lessons in the library, with 1,003,942 likes between them. These are the 25 that travelled furthest. The list is the easy part; what they have in common is the reason to read it.
The 25
- @jerseyh0mo — “I forgot about this stupid shit but imagine if they poured $80 billion into feeding the hungry instead of this failed cartoon universe that…” — 200,065 likes · open
- @DrEricDing — “UPDATE—Just learned that Eli Lilly executives are raging and furious at losing $20 billion in market cap from this stunt with @TwitterBlue.…” — 71,335 likes · open
- @BobbyVylan — “Make no mistake, this is a scare tactic. I went on the podcast and as hard as the lobby groups and media tried, they couldn’t twist anythin…” — 62,949 likes · open
- @SenWarren — “Netflix just got a $2.8 BILLION payout from Paramount for its failed Warner Bros. deal.” — 45,565 likes · open
- @garrytan — “My best career advice:” — 45,563 likes · open
- @DomTheBomb — “Let’s sum things up recently with PlayStation” — 33,772 likes · open
- @TallbarFIN — “More information about the operation of the Finnish authorities on Christmas Day:” — 23,972 likes · open
- @donwinslow — “Dear @washingtonpost” — 22,413 likes · open
- @MatthewSitman — “A genuinely stupid/funny failure from HBO, but it's also rather emblematic of the ongoing enshittification of everything: who knows how muc…” — 19,873 likes · open
- @Itsjoeco — “A few months ago I bought contracts that would be Khamenei out of office by April 1st.” — 16,153 likes · open
- @dprzygoda — “I've tweeted this story before, but feel like it's relevant again:” — 14,815 likes · open
- @balajis — “Zuck out” — 13,732 likes · open
- @durov — “Over the past few weeks, we removed hundreds of channels sharing leaked exam materials and related scams in India.” — 13,545 likes · open
- @EU_Commission — “Today, we fined X for non-compliance with transparency obligations under the DSA.” — 13,316 likes · open
- @Suhail — “1/ The first 18 months of a startup:” — 12,656 likes · open
- @realradec — “This is heartbreaking and a total failure from PlayStation” — 10,428 likes · open
- @anders_aslund — “Yes, the EU should sanction Tucker Carlson, because he is no journalist but a leading Kremlin propagandist. The EU has rightly sanctioned a…” — 9,949 likes · open
- @VPrasadMDMPH — “Every school district not open tomorrow has failed it's kids and society” — 8,912 likes · open
- @AriFleischer — “The NYT should release the names of every editor who read this and did not correct it. They have multiple layers of editors, especially for…” — 8,826 likes · open
- @justinkan — “10 months ago we shut down Atrium after raising $75m in venture capital. Anyone hearing that knows I made tons of mistakes along the way. S…” — 8,777 likes · open
- @kevinleeme — “1/ There's a fascinating story of a normal guy named Allen Hemberger who became obsessed with the Alinea cookbook. He spent 5 years re-crea…” — 8,739 likes · open
- @TrungTPhan — “Tim Cook has been Apple's CEO since Aug. 24, 2011. Over this span, Apple's market cap has jumped from $340B to -- just today -- $3T.” — 8,439 likes · open
- @kristyson_ — “To lump these two factors together to create a narrative that my behavior extended beyond bad edgy jokes is disgusting and did not happen.” — 8,390 likes · open
- @RichardSSutton — “The bitter lesson in 26 words:” — 7,409 likes · open
- @mattshumer_ — “Every time someone asks me what's going on with AI, I give them the safe answer. Because the real one sounds insane.” — 6,789 likes · open
25 different accounts, no one of them more than twice. This is a subject people write about, not a subject one person owns.
What they have in common
19 of the 25 open with an observation, and 4 with a number. The mechanism the analysis names most often is loss aversion — the post frames the stakes as something the reader stands to lose rather than gain — in 6 of them; specificity in 5. 9 of the 25 put a figure in the first line. The median post is 271 characters long — a single post, not a thread.
Three to study
@jerseyh0mo — 200,065 likes
I forgot about this stupid shit but imagine if they poured $80 billion into feeding the hungry instead of this failed cartoon universe that nobody wanted
- Leads with a specific number, which is concrete enough to be worth a second of attention.
- Uses concrete numbers instead of vague claims, which makes it credible and quotable.
- Written from experience rather than as advice, which is harder to argue with.
@DrEricDing — 71,335 likes
UPDATE—Just learned that Eli Lilly executives are raging and furious at losing $20 billion in market cap from this stunt with @TwitterBlue. It’s too bad they don’t see their own damn insulin price gouging as the actual problem. Karma @LillyPad, karma.
- Uses concrete numbers instead of vague claims, which makes it credible and quotable.
- Frames the idea around what the reader stands to lose, which is more motivating than gain.
- Short enough to read in full without expanding, which removes a step before the point lands.
@BobbyVylan — 62,949 likes
Make no mistake, this is a scare tactic. I went on the podcast and as hard as the lobby groups and media tried, they couldn’t twist anything I said. So they have resorted to lobbying for Louis’ sponsorship to be pulled in an attempt to scare others out of giving me a platform.
- Opens with a short, self-contained line that is easy to take in at a glance.
- Admits a failure or a cost, which buys trust that a polished post cannot.
- Frames the idea around what the reader stands to lose, which is more motivating than gain.
How to write one
- Preserve the Hook structure and the leads with a number opening. Replace the subject matter entirely with the writer’s own product, story and numbers.
- Preserve the Hook → Landing structure and the plain observation opening. Replace the subject matter entirely with the writer’s own product, story and numbers.
- Keep the subject and change everything else: the facts, the figures and the voice have to be yours. What transfers is where the hook lands and how the second line earns it.
Filter the library to Lessons, ordered by likes to read the rest, or remix the top three with your own product as the subject.