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Definitely forgiving, but I think you are missing the point. The fact is, Google owns the whole process from top to bottom. Nice that TPU's are available for r

Definitely forgiving, but I think you are missing the point. The fact is, Google owns the whole process from top to bottom. Nice that TPU's are available for rent, but to what end? If I run something truly innovative on their hardware (TPU), with their software platform(Tensor)...is that actually innovation, will they have the means to just copy it? How do I compete with that?

skybrian 9y ago
Would you say the same thing of Go or Chrome? These are tools anyone can use. Building something higher in the stack isn't cheating, it's just reuse. (Snapchat is built on Google Cloud, for example.) As always you want to be careful about dependencies, but that doesn't mean rewriting everything.
- monkmartinez 9y ago
  Yes, I would, as there is no way for me to truly compete with Google if I am using their tools. The premise is so flawed that I have trouble even formulating possible counter arguments you may suggest. I use chrome and little snitch is always telling on it. It calls home so much that I have just given up in order to have a decent experience and gave it full connection rights. I don't know how much of the browser Chrome owns, but I guess it is not insignificant. That is a lot of data that I will never have access to... let alone for my family nor on at Google scale. Netflix uses AWS and competes with Amazon Prime... I get it. I do think that no one knows the whole story. Getting back to OP... it has to be damn tiring/frustrating to even contemplate competing in AI/ML space with these big mega corps. I simply would not, that ship has sailed.
EGreg 9y ago
That's the age old question - what if Facebook copies what you did, in a week? Like they did with Twitter or Snapchat? By the time they copy you, you're already big. I don't really see the problem as long as the tech companies don't hoard the information and spread the knowledge - which they are doing with initiatives like OpenAI and many more. The big question is, what happens when they invent AI that builds its own programs and exponentially accelerates? Who needs startups at all then?
- monkmartinez 9y ago
  Bull. Instagram is eating Snapchat for lunch right now, for starters. Twitter is going down in flames soon enough as well. There is a massive consolidation taking place in social, and I think with tech in general. We are at a point where automation, AI/ML and resources are the next battle grounds. Sure there will be wins here and there, but like the app stores in 2014... the gold rush looks like it's over.

skybrian 9y ago

Would you say the same thing of Go or Chrome? These are tools anyone can use. Building something higher in the stack isn't cheating, it's just reuse. (Snapchat is built on Google Cloud, for example.) As always you want to be careful about dependencies, but that doesn't mean rewriting everything.

monkmartinez 9y ago
Yes, I would, as there is no way for me to truly compete with Google if I am using their tools. The premise is so flawed that I have trouble even formulating possible counter arguments you may suggest. I use chrome and little snitch is always telling on it. It calls home so much that I have just given up in order to have a decent experience and gave it full connection rights. I don't know how much of the browser Chrome owns, but I guess it is not insignificant. That is a lot of data that I will never have access to... let alone for my family nor on at Google scale. Netflix uses AWS and competes with Amazon Prime... I get it. I do think that no one knows the whole story. Getting back to OP... it has to be damn tiring/frustrating to even contemplate competing in AI/ML space with these big mega corps. I simply would not, that ship has sailed.

EGreg 9y ago

That's the age old question - what if Facebook copies what you did, in a week? Like they did with Twitter or Snapchat? By the time they copy you, you're already big. I don't really see the problem as long as the tech companies don't hoard the information and spread the knowledge - which they are doing with initiatives like OpenAI and many more. The big question is, what happens when they invent AI that builds its own programs and exponentially accelerates? Who needs startups at all then?

monkmartinez 9y ago
Bull. Instagram is eating Snapchat for lunch right now, for starters. Twitter is going down in flames soon enough as well. There is a massive consolidation taking place in social, and I think with tech in general. We are at a point where automation, AI/ML and resources are the next battle grounds. Sure there will be wins here and there, but like the app stores in 2014... the gold rush looks like it's over.