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Sure, as I said there are cases on the margin, and those cases where you just happen to be working against a competitor who just happened to start working on th
by hugh3 16y ago
Sure, as I said there are cases on the margin, and those cases where you just happen to be working against a competitor who just happened to start working on the same problem at roughly the same time are most of 'em. I'm not convinced these sorts of scenarios are all that common, though. Most big success stories involve doing something that nobody else was doing.
According to my numbers derived ex anum I'd say that working twice as hard increases your chance of getting a big payout by... approximately ten percent.
- chc 16y agoHow many big success stories involve people who weren't really working all that hard? Do you really believe that's a common scenario? Even if they weren't working on it at the same time, as long as somebody's looking when you gain moderate success, you've got a competitor who can use your current work as R&D to catch up — and then they can outpace you if you're giving 30% fueled by pocket change and they're giving 100% with the resources of a millionaire. This might not mean death, but it does mean that falling backward into monumental success is extremely improbable. That's why people say lifestyle businesses are unlikely to yield huge rewards.
- nickthedart 16y agoWhat if your software is better architected e:g programmed by people who ruthlessly avoid unnecessary complexity? It may be that a competitor with deep pockets wastes lots on an over-complex or vaguely/fuzzily designed competing product. OTOH, I suppose sadly they've got a lot more to spend on marketing and that is what may kill you.