_Impro_ is a handbook for running a cult
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A critical analysis of Keith Johnstone's influential book Impro, examining why it became part of Silicon Valley's secret canon. The post explores Johnstone's ideas on status games and social dynamics, which are genuinely useful for engineers, but also scrutinizes the cult-like atmosphere of his teaching methods — including hypnosis-adjacent mask work, deliberate breakdown of students' sense of self, and charismatic guru dynamics. The author draws parallels between Johnstone's theatre troupe and startup culture, noting Peter Thiel's famous line that good startups are 'slightly less extreme kinds of cults'. While acknowledging the book's value for understanding power dynamics and creativity, the author warns against adopting it as a life philosophy and advises skepticism toward anyone pushing it too hard.
