Isn't the core problem here "he sat on it and didn't release"? Money-making idea or not, if you don't release it doesn't matter whether you've told people about

Isn't the core problem here "he sat on it and didn't release"? Money-making idea or not, if you don't release it doesn't matter whether you've told people about your idea or not. I completely agree with your last statement, "if you sit on your ideas at all, someone will do them instead." - But, I think that's true even if you haven't told people about your idea. Someone else will have the same idea, sooner or later.