"Why work on a cool app or faster database, if Google or Facebook will copy your idea and sell it at scale?" Because if you've worked at these companies, you k

"Why work on a cool app or faster database, if Google or Facebook will copy your idea and sell it at scale?" Because if you've worked at these companies, you know you can spin circles around them in execution speed alone. Not to mention way too many things are too small scale for them to even pay attention to. And if your successful, they would rather buy you most of the time than make a competitor because it's probably cheaper for them in many cases. In startup world, it's pretty rare they go the copycat route. You can cite examples, but that is survivorship bias ignoring the many more they do not copy. The biggest issue with bigtech is actually hiring. They suck up the labor market and make it hard to get good people affordably. The good employees rationally do what is best for them and go work at bigtech, which includes me.