Ep8 Exp Growth + Scarcity = Boom or Bust

This episode of Deep Dives into Theory of Constraints unpacks the terrifying math of exponential growth versus finite resources, using Dr. Alan Barnard's work and the Theory of Constraints to explain why systems suddenly collapse.

Through queueing theory, Little's Law, the Dice Game and real-world examples (traffic, iPad shortages, hospitals, factories), it shows how tiny demand increases can trigger exponential queues and reliability decay — and why the counterintuitive fix is to protect bottlenecks, group buffers and intentionally slow inputs.

The takeaway: stabilizing flows and spotting early warnings can dramatically increase effective capacity, buy time to innovate, and applies equally to global systems and your own attention and workflows.