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> In Zero to One, Thiel argued that competition is for losers and that the goal of a startup is to create a monopoly. Way to not understand what Thiel meant.

dijksterhuis 5mo ago
care to elaborate?
mfcl 5mo ago
You're being downvoted but you're right. I won't defend Thiel in general but that particular point is a bit taken out of context. There's a talk somewhere ont the internet where he explains that you don't want to build a do-it-all product, at least not right away. Don't compete with everyone for everything. Find a more niche market where you can have a monopoly, get comfortable, then you branch out, diversity, and tackle broader markets.
- jackmott42 5mo ago
  [flagged]
- manoDev 5mo ago
  Many small companies focusing on their niches is the entire reason VC works — risk spread across the portfolio. It’s pretty obvious. The book indoctrinates founders to act aligned with VCs best interests, not necessarily the company/employees/customers ones.
- hackyhacky 5mo ago
  > Find a more niche market where you can have a monopoly, get comfortable, then you branch out That's certainly a reasonable business strategy. But what is good for a business is not necessarily good for the country, which is exactly why anti-monopoly laws exist.
  - ExoticPearTree 5mo ago
    As one politician once said "The interests of the state are not always the interests of the citizens". And to your point: we have banana republics for a reason.
rectang 5mo ago
Original source: Thiel’s Wall Street Journal essay: https://www.wsj.com/articles/peter-thiel-competition-is-for-losers-1410535536 https://www.wsj.com/articles/peter-thiel-competition-is-for-... https://www.csun.edu/~vcact00f/497CapStone/Peter%20Thiel_%20Competition%20Is%20for%20Losers%20-%20WSJ.pdf https://www.csun.edu/~vcact00f/497CapStone/Peter%20Thiel_%20... The title is “Competition is for losers” and the sub-head is “If you want to create and capture lasting value, look to build a monopoly, writes Peter Thiel”.

dijksterhuis 5mo ago

care to elaborate?

mfcl 5mo ago

You're being downvoted but you're right. I won't defend Thiel in general but that particular point is a bit taken out of context. There's a talk somewhere ont the internet where he explains that you don't want to build a do-it-all product, at least not right away. Don't compete with everyone for everything. Find a more niche market where you can have a monopoly, get comfortable, then you branch out, diversity, and tackle broader markets.

jackmott42 5mo ago
[flagged]
manoDev 5mo ago
Many small companies focusing on their niches is the entire reason VC works — risk spread across the portfolio. It’s pretty obvious. The book indoctrinates founders to act aligned with VCs best interests, not necessarily the company/employees/customers ones.
hackyhacky 5mo ago
> Find a more niche market where you can have a monopoly, get comfortable, then you branch out That's certainly a reasonable business strategy. But what is good for a business is not necessarily good for the country, which is exactly why anti-monopoly laws exist.
- ExoticPearTree 5mo ago
  As one politician once said "The interests of the state are not always the interests of the citizens". And to your point: we have banana republics for a reason.

rectang 5mo ago

Original source: Thiel’s Wall Street Journal essay: https://www.wsj.com/articles/peter-thiel-competition-is-for-losers-1410535536 https://www.wsj.com/articles/peter-thiel-competition-is-for-... https://www.csun.edu/~vcact00f/497CapStone/Peter%20Thiel_%20Competition%20Is%20for%20Losers%20-%20WSJ.pdf https://www.csun.edu/~vcact00f/497CapStone/Peter%20Thiel_%20... The title is “Competition is for losers” and the sub-head is “If you want to create and capture lasting value, look to build a monopoly, writes Peter Thiel”.