Glossary
In short
A framework Jeff Bezos uses to differentiate decision velocity. Type 1 decisions are one-way doors — consequential and irreversible, deserving slow deliberation, multi-expert input, and high confidence before commitment.
Last reviewed
The full definition
Type 2 decisions are two-way doors — reversible at low cost, deserving fast decisions made by individuals or small groups who can iterate as they learn. The most common organizational failure is applying Type 1 process to Type 2 decisions, which kills velocity without improving quality.
The second most common is applying Type 2 process to Type 1 decisions, which destroys value at scale.
In SynthBoard
The CEO takes it — about a minute, and the card shows “up to 85 credits” before anything runs. Nothing runs until you tap.
When the answer turns on something only you know, the expert asks before answering. Tap a chip, or ask for their best guess. Being asked is never charged.
Keep reading
An analytical approach that examines interconnections, feedback loops, delays, and emergent behavior within complex systems rather than analyzing components in isolation.
Definition TermA single-expert working session: one named advisor takes the question, asks what it actually needs to know, and owns the answer end to end.
Definition TermA more rigorous form of the decision matrix in which each criterion is assigned a weight reflecting its relative importance, and the final score for each option is the sum of its criterion scores multiplied by those weights.
Definition TermA persistent, structured dossier of a decision-maker's situation — identity, company, hard numbers, goals, constraints, stated preferences, and the open questions an advisor should still ask.
Definition TermThe practice of deliberately seeking counter-arguments, risks, and flaws in a proposed plan or thesis.
Definition GuideThe complete guide to making strategic calls with AI that disagrees on purpose.
Read the guide The bench24 named experts, each with a point of view of their own.
Meet themSynthBoard (synthboard.ai) is one place for your business, your life, and every hard call. Your Chief of Staff keeps what you tell her on file, and 24 named experts on different AI models take the calls — one expert for a consult, a board with opposed seats for the hard ones — and hand back a memo with the call, the dissent and the first move. How it works.
