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This is where tech vs. business breaks down. Tech thinks everything has to be new, unique, novel, and the-best-in-the-world. Business is all about differentia

by seiji 11y ago

This is where tech vs. business breaks down. Tech thinks everything has to be new, unique, novel, and the-best-in-the-world. Business is all about differentiation and marketing and getting inside customer minds. Even if Soylent was Ensure re-branded, they can still have a business by being "fuel for the tech crowd" instead of "feeding tube fuel" http://www.amazon.com/Nestle-Healthcare-Nutrition-85140100-Unflavored/dp/B00Q0RZGBK http://www.amazon.com/Nestle-Healthcare-Nutrition-85140100-U... It's all the same product. You're paying to belong to a brand/cult for a personal enjoyment experience (I drink the same sludge as VCs! I'm awesome!!), not because the products are substantially different. What's the end-game with Soylent anyway? Soylent will be sold to Nestle, the feeding tube people, not to Tesla or Apple or Microsoft or Adobe.

omouse 11y ago
Are you serious? The products are substantially different. If you look at the nutritional info for Ensure[1] and Soylent[2] you'll see that Soylent has more calories, more fat, no cholesterol, more sodium, more potassium, less sugar, more protein. Most important, Soylent has a more even distribution of the daily % of vitamins and minerals. If you drink 3 bottles of Ensure you're up to 180% daily value of Vitamin C, 240% of Vitamin D, 180% Manganese. The even distribution makes it easier for it to act as a complete meal replacement not just a diet or sports supplement. My feeling is also that Soylent measures more and tweaks their formula more. Their goal is to be a good cheap meal for everyone: Soylent is a food product (classified as a food, not a supplement, by the FDA) designed for use as a staple meal by all adults. Each serving of Soylent provides maximum nutrition with minimum effort. In a paycheck or two I'll buy a bunch of these and they'll be my lunch and breakfast replacement. Things like Ensure don't cut it as a staple meal. [1] https://ensure.com/nutrition-products/ensure-plus#vanilla https://ensure.com/nutrition-products/ensure-plus#vanilla [2] http://files.soylent.com/pdf/soylent-nutrition-facts-2-0-en.pdf http://files.soylent.com/pdf/soylent-nutrition-facts-2-0-en....
- seiji 11y ago
  meh, GNC did it first: http://www.gnc.com/GNC-Total-Lean-Lean-Shake-25-Pumpkin-Spice-LIMITED-EDITION-FLAVOR/product.jsp?productId=21590216&green=F410177D-A204-5541-B093-9EF2483D34CF http://www.gnc.com/GNC-Total-Lean-Lean-Shake-25-Pumpkin-Spic... and it's even pumpkin spice. game, set, match, checkmate, yahtzee.
- geofft 11y ago
  > more calories, more fat, no cholesterol, more sodium, more potassium, less sugar, more protein. Sure, so you've established that the products are different. Are these changes for the better, though? > If you drink 3 bottles of Ensure you're up to 180% daily value of Vitamin C, 240% of Vitamin D, 180% Manganese. So? These aren't anywhere close to worrisome levels. > My feeling is also that Soylent measures more and tweaks their formula more. Do you base this on knowledge of Ensure's development practices, or on Soylent's marketing?
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  > Most important, Soylent has a more even distribution of the daily % of vitamins and minerals. Which is actually what you don't want, since the daily % isn't consistent in meaning. In some cases its a target which most people should meet or exceed. It some cases its a target most people should be around. It some cases (e.g., sodium) its nearly the maximum recommended for the majority of the population, and above the maximum recommended for a substantial minority. > My feeling is also that Soylent measures more and tweaks their formula more. Soylent is tweaking it more because they are moving it around fairly rapidly to deal with component prices and feedback from unanticipated negative impacts on consumers.

by seiji 11y ago

omouse 11y ago

Are you serious? The products are substantially different. If you look at the nutritional info for Ensure[1] and Soylent[2] you'll see that Soylent has more calories, more fat, no cholesterol, more sodium, more potassium, less sugar, more protein. Most important, Soylent has a more even distribution of the daily % of vitamins and minerals. If you drink 3 bottles of Ensure you're up to 180% daily value of Vitamin C, 240% of Vitamin D, 180% Manganese. The even distribution makes it easier for it to act as a complete meal replacement not just a diet or sports supplement. My feeling is also that Soylent measures more and tweaks their formula more. Their goal is to be a good cheap meal for everyone: Soylent is a food product (classified as a food, not a supplement, by the FDA) designed for use as a staple meal by all adults. Each serving of Soylent provides maximum nutrition with minimum effort. In a paycheck or two I'll buy a bunch of these and they'll be my lunch and breakfast replacement. Things like Ensure don't cut it as a staple meal. [1] https://ensure.com/nutrition-products/ensure-plus#vanilla https://ensure.com/nutrition-products/ensure-plus#vanilla [2] http://files.soylent.com/pdf/soylent-nutrition-facts-2-0-en.pdf http://files.soylent.com/pdf/soylent-nutrition-facts-2-0-en....

seiji 11y ago
meh, GNC did it first: http://www.gnc.com/GNC-Total-Lean-Lean-Shake-25-Pumpkin-Spice-LIMITED-EDITION-FLAVOR/product.jsp?productId=21590216&green=F410177D-A204-5541-B093-9EF2483D34CF http://www.gnc.com/GNC-Total-Lean-Lean-Shake-25-Pumpkin-Spic... and it's even pumpkin spice. game, set, match, checkmate, yahtzee.
geofft 11y ago
> more calories, more fat, no cholesterol, more sodium, more potassium, less sugar, more protein. Sure, so you've established that the products are different. Are these changes for the better, though? > If you drink 3 bottles of Ensure you're up to 180% daily value of Vitamin C, 240% of Vitamin D, 180% Manganese. So? These aren't anywhere close to worrisome levels. > My feeling is also that Soylent measures more and tweaks their formula more. Do you base this on knowledge of Ensure's development practices, or on Soylent's marketing?
dragonwriter 11y ago
> Most important, Soylent has a more even distribution of the daily % of vitamins and minerals. Which is actually what you don't want, since the daily % isn't consistent in meaning. In some cases its a target which most people should meet or exceed. It some cases its a target most people should be around. It some cases (e.g., sodium) its nearly the maximum recommended for the majority of the population, and above the maximum recommended for a substantial minority. > My feeling is also that Soylent measures more and tweaks their formula more. Soylent is tweaking it more because they are moving it around fairly rapidly to deal with component prices and feedback from unanticipated negative impacts on consumers.