Johnson argues that innovation is not a sudden, isolated event but rather an incremental and networked process. This perspective challenges the traditional notion of lone geniuses achieving breakthroughs after sudden flashes of insight. Johnson instead posits that breakthroughs emerge from a complex web of interconnected ideas and gradual developments.

Johnson introduces the concept of the “adjacent possible,” a term coined by Stuart Kauffman, to explain how innovation unfolds. He describes this as the realm of potential innovations that are within reach at any given moment, based on existing knowledge and resources. The author illustrates this idea with a metaphor of a house that expands as one explores it: “Think of it as a house that magically expands with each door you open. You begin in a room with four doors, each leading to a new room that you haven't visited yet. Those four rooms are the adjacent possible” (31). Johnson extends the metaphor, describing discovery as a gradual, ongoing process: “But once you open one of those doors and stroll into that room, three new doors appear, each leading to a brand-new room that you couldn't have reached from your original starting point” (31).