9 or 6? The Most Dangerous Illusion in the Tech World
It was a calm afternoon, and the sun cast long shadows across an empty field. On the ground, a single number was drawn in bold chalk. From one side, it looked like a 9 . From the opposite side, it looked like a 6 . Two people arrived from opposite directions, neither knowing that the other had already seen the number. The first person leaned forward, squinted at the chalk marking, and smiled confidently. “That is clearly a nine,” they said. The second person frowned, shook their head, and stepped closer. “No, it’s a six. You are looking at it upside down.” They began to argue. Each gestured toward the number. Each explained why their interpretation was correct. Each was certain. And if you were standing nearby, you might assume that one of them would eventually give in. You might imagine a resolution where one side finally accepts that they were wrong. Here comes the twist: neither was wrong. Both were right. From their own positions, each could see exactly what they expected. Yet, ...
