“The Infinite Alphabet”: the hidden laws of knowledge

In his new book The Infinite Alphabet (Penguin, nov. 2025), César A. Hidalgo, an expert in the study of economic complexity, proposes a bold idea: that knowledge grows, moves, and creates value according to fundamental principles. Drawing on stories that range from typing classes in 1910s Pittsburgh to China’s Silicon Valley, César reveals the hidden order behind innovation and economic growth.

At the heart of the book are three “laws of knowledge”:

• Time: how knowledge accumulates and decays, shaping the rhythm of progress,

• Space: how ideas and skills travel across industries and borders,

• Value: why some combinations of knowledge generate prosperity while others stall.

César argues that billion-dollar projects - from Ecuador’s Yachay to Saudi Arabia’s Neom - often fail because they ignore these laws, trying to “build” knowledge from scratch rather than understanding how it naturally evolves. These attempts are as ill guided as trying to build a rocket without understanding the principles governing the aerodynamics of missiles of the chemistry of fuels.

The Infinite Alphabet bridges physics, economics, and policy to offer a new lens on technological and social change. Learning the inner workings of the infinite alphabet may be a key step for building a better collective future. For journalists covering innovation, global development, or the future of work, César’s research opens a compelling conversation: if knowledge obeys laws, can progress itself be engineered?*

César is a tenured professor at the Toulouse School of Economics, he’s known for his contributions to economic complexity and for his applied work on data visualization and artificial intelligence. He heads the Center for Collective Learning. He’s also the founder of Datawheel, a company specialized in the development of economics intelligence platforms including Data Saudi, Data Mexico, and Data USA. .

César is available for phone or Zoom interview in English and Spanish. If you're interested, please reach out to TSE Press Officer, Caroline Pain caroline.pain@tse-fr.eu

This news is part of our new series “Headline Research”. Each time a TSE researcher publishes a newsworthy study, we’ll let you - journalists - know, and offer you the opportunity to interview the author.