Early Time Dynamics and the Bulk

Deciphering the origin of collective phenomena in small colliding systems is one of the contemporary focuses in heavy-ion physics. It entails penetrating the barrier between two previously separated research topics: thermalization/hydrodynamization and phenomenological studies of collectivity. I first review some recent progress in understanding thermalization/hydrodynamization in large colliding systems, centralized on bottom-up thermalization. Then, using a simple kinetic theory I demonstrate how the investigation of hydrodynamization is intertwined with the study of flow in small colliding systems. Connections of these studies to "hard probes" are also commented on where possible.