I can only speak to engineering, but in my experience it isn't that simple. An example: SpaceX vs Blue Origin. SpaceX was actually founded 2 years after Blue

I can only speak to engineering, but in my experience it isn't that simple. An example: SpaceX vs Blue Origin. SpaceX was actually founded 2 years after Blue Origin, but it has a significant technology and business lead. Elon Musk set ambitious deadlines and micromanaged some of the technology goals from the start, requiring deliverable products to be able to stay in business. Whereas Bezos still just infuses up to a billion dollars of his own money a year, and as a result has a more relaxed atmosphere and slower progress. The result is that everyone knows what SpaceX is doing, but only people on HN have heard of Blue Origin. Caveats: Elon Musk's far more active leadership may have also played a role, while Bezos left leadership to people who probably did not fully match Musk's creativity and drive.