Two things can be true at once: * being first doesn't guarantee success (otherwise we would all own Xerox laptops right now) * hard research and development i

Two things can be true at once: * being first doesn't guarantee success (otherwise we would all own Xerox laptops right now) * hard research and development is always a race in terms of getting to a product before running out of money Basic economic theory shows there is always a scarcity of resources - money, time, market, people. The faster you are in front of the pack, the more likely you will get the lions share of money, the more people buying your product, and the more people wanting to join your venture. The secret is to never fool yourself that you have unlimited time or money. That pathology leads companies to burn cash and take too much time choosing the "perfect" over the "really good", never getting to market. That's where I believe most startups failed in the past few years, and we're seeing that now more clearly with the desert of VC investment. You can fool yourself, but you cannot pretend basic economic forces don't exist.