3 ms·
The space for people-like-me startups is severely crowded due to an over-abundance of people scratching their own itch. Empirically that doesn't seem to be tru
by pg 17y ago
The space for people-like-me startups is severely crowded due to an over-abundance of people scratching their own itch.
Empirically that doesn't seem to be true. E.g. there were not a lot of other startups doing Facebook at the same time as Mark. A couple, but not a lot.
Probably the reason is the point I mentioned in the essay: most people ignore their itches because they don't seem good enough sources of ideas.
Ironically, if people start doing what I suggest, it could cause what you're claiming to become true. But we can cross that bridge when we come to it.
- BerislavLopac 17y agothere were not a lot of other startups doing Facebook at the same time as Mark. Actually, I'd say there were. Not "doing Facebook", but scratching the same itch Mark was, which is connecting students on campuses. Some of them failed, some went in different directions -- Facebook itself has grown into what it is over the years.
- patrickk 17y agoIncidentally, Zuckerberg wasn't scratching his own itch; he took the idea of some other students who's site he was supposedly was helping them to build, and ran with/stole/took 'inspiration from' (depending on your point of view) the idea himself. http://www.businessinsider.com/how-mark-zuckerberg-hacked-into-the-harvard-crimson-2010-3 http://www.businessinsider.com/how-mark-zuckerberg-hacked-in... http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/judge-ends-facebooks-feud-with-connectu/ http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/judge-ends-facebook... It's quite a Microsoft-esque tatic I think, i.e. of questionable morals, but potentially a great business move.
- reynolds 17y agoI'm not sure what went through Mark Zuckerberg's head, but I imagine he felt he could do a better job than ConnectU and was compelled to do so.
- patrickk 17y ago>>....he felt he could do a better job than ConnectU and was compelled to do so If you are aware of the background to the story, it seems like he gave the impression to two fellow Harvard students that he would help them build an internal dating site for Harvard, but some time into the project he decided to stop communicating with them and used the code for what would eventually become Facebook.
- BerislavLopac 17y agoOK, so someone was scratching their own itch..
- ivankirigin 17y agohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook#Facemash http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook#Facemash