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I've seen, in the past few years, a lot of startups websites that are just basically simple apps that does a simple task. That's fine and all. Even encouraged.

I've seen, in the past few years, a lot of startups websites that are just basically simple apps that does a simple task. That's fine and all. Even encouraged. Google started out as a "simple" search app. Like the article said, this is where the focus seems to be; in the tail. What separated Google from a lot of other startups were that it expanded on its idea of what search can be. Google eventually expanded to different markets.They weren't looking to make a big buck. They were looking to change the world. The big problem is, a lot of people would rather make the big buck and just live life. Its easier that way. You make your tech and then don't have to worry about longevity. It is interesting, in the article the author mentions that we need to join forces with experts in other industries. That could work, but the expert has to know what he is talking about. The developer also has to know a little about what the expert is talking about. These visions have come together in a way that they can feed off of each other. Look at Apple. Jobs and Woz both had backgrounds building things. Woz was the expert, while Jobs was the visionary. They created a great company with innovative products, because they fed off of each other(well at least the initial projects). We all know what happened when Jobs was fired from Apple. The CEO was a "guy who sold sugar water". He had no idea, really, what technology was or could do. Instead, the products were lackluster, uninspiring, generic. As for me, this article seems inspiring to me. I'm not "genius" but I can code very well. I'm also chasing after an industry that I know pretty well and want to disrupt for the better (art and art education). I want to change the world. So, I believe I'm on the right path. If only I can code the damn thing faster. But that's another subject entirely.

neya 14y ago
Exactly, my thoughts. I can show you from my friends list how many young college kids setup an Android app or Wordpress blog with high hopes of becoming TechCrunch or Mashable someday and update their current working positions to 'CEO at <insert blog /app name here>'. CEO because they run a Wordpress blog/ Android app? Wow, that is now ridiculous! This mentality has to change. Entrepreneurship is surely more than just about creating stuff like this, in my opinion.
- slurgfest 14y ago
  There are so many people building some little thing. Similarly, for millennia businesspeople have just done something like running an inn. (CEO, Ye Olde Fysh Shoppe.) But somehow now even the little things are culturally also supposed to pretend to be big and to try to get big as possible. I wish it were more supported and respected for people to build and sustain themselves on such businesses without trying to become world-dominating, VC-backed or publicly-traded, always-growing behemoths. I guess not that many people can resist a lottery.
- chipsy 14y ago
  http://gangles.ca/2009/01/20/the-six-layers/ http://gangles.ca/2009/01/20/the-six-layers/ It applies equally well to innovative business ideas as to other creative fields - it's hard to "see" into the internals of entrepreneurial activity, but if you don't, you're going to be a "CEO" that copies the surface. I don't think we should criticize so much as seek ways to educate past this problem.
_delirium 14y ago
Google is also unlike many tech startups in that its founders invested several years in academic research before founding a startup around it. It's a bit closer to biotech startups in that sense, a spinoff of research that was initially grant-funded. That allows for more of a focus on blue-skies research, because there's no pressure to produce any revenue during the initial research phase (their work at Stanford was NSF-funded).

neya 14y ago

Exactly, my thoughts. I can show you from my friends list how many young college kids setup an Android app or Wordpress blog with high hopes of becoming TechCrunch or Mashable someday and update their current working positions to 'CEO at <insert blog /app name here>'. CEO because they run a Wordpress blog/ Android app? Wow, that is now ridiculous! This mentality has to change. Entrepreneurship is surely more than just about creating stuff like this, in my opinion.

slurgfest 14y ago
There are so many people building some little thing. Similarly, for millennia businesspeople have just done something like running an inn. (CEO, Ye Olde Fysh Shoppe.) But somehow now even the little things are culturally also supposed to pretend to be big and to try to get big as possible. I wish it were more supported and respected for people to build and sustain themselves on such businesses without trying to become world-dominating, VC-backed or publicly-traded, always-growing behemoths. I guess not that many people can resist a lottery.
chipsy 14y ago
http://gangles.ca/2009/01/20/the-six-layers/ http://gangles.ca/2009/01/20/the-six-layers/ It applies equally well to innovative business ideas as to other creative fields - it's hard to "see" into the internals of entrepreneurial activity, but if you don't, you're going to be a "CEO" that copies the surface. I don't think we should criticize so much as seek ways to educate past this problem.

_delirium 14y ago

Google is also unlike many tech startups in that its founders invested several years in academic research before founding a startup around it. It's a bit closer to biotech startups in that sense, a spinoff of research that was initially grant-funded. That allows for more of a focus on blue-skies research, because there's no pressure to produce any revenue during the initial research phase (their work at Stanford was NSF-funded).