4 ms·

16:58[0]: "Unfortunately a lot of the large tech companies have extremely smart founders and they basically understand that new people like them are going to be

16:58[0]: "Unfortunately a lot of the large tech companies have extremely smart founders and they basically understand that new people like them are going to be disrupting them and they're proactively working to make sure that they can't be disrupted". Wow. [0] https://youtu.be/A35jCapHmug?t=1018 https://youtu.be/A35jCapHmug?t=1018

simonebrunozzi 7y ago
Wow indeed. Nothing new under the sun, but right now the tech sector seem to be particularly vulnerable to the power of the big guys.
threatofrain 7y ago
Warren Buffet would advise people to invest in moats.
threeseed 7y ago
Not really that surprising. It's why we've had so many acquihires over the years as well as companies like Facebook spending so much to acquire potential competitors like Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus etc.
randomuser1235 7y ago
Proof for this claim?
keerthiko 7y ago
IMO, the optimal self-serving but long-term-benevolent tech pioneer should go the Bill Gates route -- after a significant disruption, invest in moats during a medium length career(20-30 years), and then divest from the industry and pursue philanthropy. Microsoft's moats have been opened up and now allow many other players to disrupt in their former core industries, and Bill doesn't care anymore Today's tech are the dark ages of tech moats, because it's also the golden age of internet and technology innovation -- but anyone building anything promising gets gobbled up by the same 4-5 FAANG+ giants. I worry that these tech moats will not go away even when their founders transition with billions of dollars in the bank, leaving the next generation of creators to have to expend half their energy filling these moats before they can disrupt anything.
- dclusin 7y ago
  > Microsoft's moats have been opened up and now allow many other players to disrupt in their former core industries Microsoft seems to be adopting the cloud just fine. They've managed to keep office modern and relevant. Xbox as a platform is still doing well. Windows is still the default OS for desktops; less people are using desktops tho. Microsoft is facing competition sure, and maybe their monopoly on desktops isn't as valuable as it once was. But it seems to me they certainly aren't headed for the mothball fleet anytime soon.
manigandham 7y ago
Perhaps the most important factor is that these big FAANG companies have incredible cash flow and warchests which means they can acquire any upcoming contender easily. It's very hard for any founder to turn that down when multibillion prices are thrown around so often.
- olivepistacchio 7y ago
  Now, tech is a bit like pharma. The big companies work like investment funds and buy any promising upstart to maintain an oligopoly.
afpx 7y ago
How much innovative, disruptive tech has never become reality because powerful tech companies acquihires all of their smartest competitors and gives them cushy jobs?
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

simonebrunozzi 7y ago

Wow indeed. Nothing new under the sun, but right now the tech sector seem to be particularly vulnerable to the power of the big guys.

threatofrain 7y ago

Warren Buffet would advise people to invest in moats.

threeseed 7y ago

Not really that surprising. It's why we've had so many acquihires over the years as well as companies like Facebook spending so much to acquire potential competitors like Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus etc.

randomuser1235 7y ago

Proof for this claim?

keerthiko 7y ago

IMO, the optimal self-serving but long-term-benevolent tech pioneer should go the Bill Gates route -- after a significant disruption, invest in moats during a medium length career(20-30 years), and then divest from the industry and pursue philanthropy. Microsoft's moats have been opened up and now allow many other players to disrupt in their former core industries, and Bill doesn't care anymore Today's tech are the dark ages of tech moats, because it's also the golden age of internet and technology innovation -- but anyone building anything promising gets gobbled up by the same 4-5 FAANG+ giants. I worry that these tech moats will not go away even when their founders transition with billions of dollars in the bank, leaving the next generation of creators to have to expend half their energy filling these moats before they can disrupt anything.

dclusin 7y ago
> Microsoft's moats have been opened up and now allow many other players to disrupt in their former core industries Microsoft seems to be adopting the cloud just fine. They've managed to keep office modern and relevant. Xbox as a platform is still doing well. Windows is still the default OS for desktops; less people are using desktops tho. Microsoft is facing competition sure, and maybe their monopoly on desktops isn't as valuable as it once was. But it seems to me they certainly aren't headed for the mothball fleet anytime soon.

manigandham 7y ago

Perhaps the most important factor is that these big FAANG companies have incredible cash flow and warchests which means they can acquire any upcoming contender easily. It's very hard for any founder to turn that down when multibillion prices are thrown around so often.

olivepistacchio 7y ago
Now, tech is a bit like pharma. The big companies work like investment funds and buy any promising upstart to maintain an oligopoly.

afpx 7y ago

How much innovative, disruptive tech has never become reality because powerful tech companies acquihires all of their smartest competitors and gives them cushy jobs?

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]