If there's one major takeaway from the book, it's that humans became the dominant species we are today because of our ability to create myths and tell stories.
We were once limited by a supposed law of nature that makes it nearly impossible to organize a group of more than 150 people, a limit known to anthropologists as Dunbar's number. Above that number, the theory goes, humans have a hard time forming close relationships and trusting others.
But if we create myths and tell stories, we can form connections with people outside of our core group because we have a shared interest or knowledge in something, and trust can be formed.
No other animals can band together by the millions because no other animals can tell stories.
This is how nation-states were built and world religions were formed, according to Harari. It is also why people believe in economies and a paper money system.
We tell stories, give value to things, and fight (often literally) to keep those traditions alive.
That same storytelling superpower that allowed for the creation of religions and economic systems, also helped businesses, as we know them today, to form into massive and lasting operations.
Harari used the example of the French auto-giant Peugeot to illustrate his point.
If suddenly every Peugeot employee died and every car vanished from the streets, the company would still exist, Harari posits. That's because the company is not simply its people or its product — the idea of Peugeot as a business has been collectively agreed upon by society.