Zero sum

Type: Concept

As of November 2026, Zero sum has been mentioned in one podcast episode on Mick Unplugged Podcast (Feb 2026). Todd Rose contrasts zero-sum thinking with 'positive-sum systems' to argue societies can grow the pie materially and psychologically.

Zero-sum game is a mathematical representation in game theory and economic theory of a situation that involves two competing entities, where the result is an advantage for one side and an equivalent loss for the other. In other words, player one's gain is equivalent to player two's loss, with the result that the net improvement in benefit of the game is zero.