The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is being negotiated in a radically different way than is normally the case with trade agreements. Trade negotiations usually take place among a set number of interested countries and within a pre-agreed agenda. In the case of the TPP the number of countries in the negotiations continues to expand, and each new country brings additional issues and concerns to the table. Can such an unorthodox approach succeed? The history and the dynamics of the TPP are examined to gain insights into the process, the motivations of the countries involved and the likeliness of a successful agreement being achieved.