假痴不癫
Stratagems of Combining · 并战计Pretend to be incompetent while secretly preparing. Appear foolish to lower the enemy's guard.
Sima Yi pretended to be senile and incompetent to deceive Cao Shuang, who held real power in Wei. While appearing as a harmless old man, Sima Yi secretly gathered loyal forces and planned his coup. When the moment came, he struck swiftly and seized total control.
Under Nadella, Microsoft publicly "conceded" in mobile and appeared to accept a secondary role. While seeming humble and distracted, Microsoft built Azure into a cloud powerhouse and invested heavily in AI — the "fool" was quietly becoming the king.
Some entrepreneurs deliberately underperform during negotiations, appearing less capable than they are. This lowers the counterpart's guard and expectations, leading to better terms. The "foolish" negotiator often gets the best deal.