---
id: "concept-the-stuff-economy"
type: "concept"
source_timestamps: ["§ Strategy Amid Radical Uncertainty"]
tags: ["economics", "macro-trends"]
related: ["concept-strategic-centering", "entity-rita-mcgrath"]
definition: "A traditional economic era anchored by defensible market positions, stable industries, and long-lived physical assets, which is currently ending."
sources: ["tail1"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-tail1"
originDay: 1
articleStem: "hbr-tail-106-decision-frameworks-fail"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/06/gg-why-decision-making-frameworks-fail"
sourceTitle: "Why Decision-Making Frameworks Fail"
---
# The 'Stuff' Economy

The **'stuff' economy** is a term coined by [[entity-rita-mcgrath]] to describe the traditional economic era characterized by **defensible market positions, stable industries, and long-lived physical assets**.

The source posits that we are witnessing the *"end of the stuff economy"*: value creation is shifting decisively away from physical goods and toward **digital services, coordinated ecosystems, intangible assets, and experiences**. Because the old anchors no longer hold, leaders need a new organizing device — which is why this macro shift necessitates [[concept-strategic-centering]] and the five options in [[framework-strategic-centers]].

> **Enrichment note:** This framing sits inside McGrath's broader body of work on *transient advantage* and *strategy under uncertainty*, which provides the theoretical grounding for both the "end of stable anchors" claim and the strategic-centering prescription.


## Related across articles
- [[concept-analog-vs-digital-competition]]
- [[concept-barbell-market-pattern]]