I really like the quote; "It's always the meta-game that gets you." (which is the whole point of the essay really).
Basically, if you think that you've found a way to win the mini-game that you're playing - you're being a coyote - so watch out! Because when that mini-game ends, the bigger, meta game is going to blow up and end your fun.
It's basically the concept of "finite" vs "infinite" games: Don't play an infinite game like a finite game. You'll think that you're clever and winning while you're playing - but the game will always get you in the end.
Yeah, I can see how that's confusing. My take is that the first person to display a urinal (as an art piece) was an artist - but the second person to _try_ to display a urinal (as an art piece) was just a plumber (meaning: not an artist).
Seth Godin has a great line about how the first person to put a urinal in an art museum was an artist, but the second person to do it was a plumber.
It makes an interesting thought experiment about what makes art, what it means to be "creative", and how the world may (or may not) appreciate your work...
Note that they are only shutting down pop-up stores that feature (it sounds like) all Amazon products like Kindle, etc. NOT their cashierless "Go" stores. It sounds like they figured out that dedicated physical locations for Amazon products don't make sense like it does for Apple, etc.
I really like the quote; "It's always the meta-game that gets you." (which is the whole point of the essay really).
Basically, if you think that you've found a way to win the mini-game that you're playing - you're being a coyote - so watch out! Because when that mini-game ends, the bigger, meta game is going to blow up and end your fun.
It's basically the concept of "finite" vs "infinite" games: Don't play an infinite game like a finite game. You'll think that you're clever and winning while you're playing - but the game will always get you in the end.