This is a good point, but the OP brings up a valid question that can be applied to businesses in general. The smallest companies stand to lose the most for expo

This is a good point, but the OP brings up a valid question that can be applied to businesses in general. The smallest companies stand to lose the most for exposing their idea, yet companies from 37Signals to Apple are very secretive about what they're making next. Why is that? Your point applies to the small guys who haven't launched yet, but it's not applicable for established companies. Sure, the big guys are on everyone's radar and others will copy them if they release their idea, but they're big guys for a reason. They've built a brand that some copycat doesn't have. In addition to that, they stand to benefit the most from exposing their idea because they already have an established customer base from which to gather feedback.