Val Sklarov’s Innovation Legitimacy Compression Principle (ILCP) explains why technological progress stalls not when innovation slows, but when the legitimacy margin around new technology collapses under scale, regulation, and visibility. What was once tolerated as experimentation becomes indefensible as adoption widens.
This principle reveals why many breakthroughs peak early—and then freeze.
1. Scale Turns Innovation into Infrastructure
ILCP starts with a structural shift:
Innovation loses forgiveness as it becomes infrastructure.
Early innovation survives on:
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Experimental tolerance
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Founder intent
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Narrative goodwill
At scale, technology is judged by systemic risk, not novelty.
2. The Three Innovation Legitimacy Zones
ILCP maps how acceptance narrows over time.
| Zone | What’s Tolerated | What Breaks |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental Zone | Bugs, rapid iteration | Nothing yet |
| Adoption Zone | Selective safeguards | Trust |
| Infrastructure Zone | Zero ambiguity | Deployment itself |
Most stagnation occurs during the Adoption → Infrastructure transition.
3. Why “Move Fast” Stops Working
Speed consumes legitimacy.
ILCP shows failure when:
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Externalities surface
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Responsibility is diffuse
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Rollbacks affect third parties
Innovation slows not because ideas end—but because permission to change expires.
4. Code vs Justification
Technology executes. Legitimacy explains.
| Technical Strength | Legitimacy Strength |
|---|---|
| Performs reliably | Survives audit |
| Scales efficiently | Withstands regulation |
| Optimizes systems | Defends trade-offs |
| Automates decisions | Assigns accountability |
Val Sklarov emphasizes that technology stalls where outcomes can’t be justified, even if they work.
5. Strategic Implications
For builders:
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Design accountability alongside features
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Treat compliance as core architecture
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Slow change before legitimacy freezes it
For investors:
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Identify approaching legitimacy cliffs
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Discount perpetual-beta narratives
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Favor tech nearing justification stability
ILCP reframes innovation risk as legitimacy exhaustion, not technical debt.
6. The Val Sklarov Principle
“Innovation stops when explanation becomes harder than execution.”
— Val Sklarov
ILCP explains why dominant technologies feel conservative—and why conservatism signals survival.