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This is one of the best comments I've seen on HN in awhile. I think once you spend enough time in the valley, you see how many hacks are trying to "change the

This is one of the best comments I've seen on HN in awhile. I think once you spend enough time in the valley, you see how many hacks are trying to "change the world" right until their startup is about to fail and then they adapt the exact same behaviors they were trying to disrupt. It's about survival and once a company becomes your baby you will do anything to survive. It's not a terrible thing, but it is something we should be aware of. This isn't all the peak of innovation, many times it's just people working on a CRUD site trying to "disrupt big industry player x" until they run out of money and then resort to the same cheap tactics as everyone else.

nashequilibrium 14y ago
You really hit the nail on the head and i agree 100% with this line " This isn't all the peak of innovation, many times it's just people working on a CRUD site trying to "disrupt big industry player x" until they run out of money and then resort to the same cheap tactics as everyone else." I have to ask myself is it worth it to start a web or mobile phone startup right now or wait a few yrs. The reason why i am thinking along these lines, is because it is so hard to find product differentiation in this climate with everyone running lean and trampling all over each other. An example, i clicked on the above link and assumed i was on the website Medium, but then i saw that he was the creator of svbtle, so i decide to check it out, assuming it might be a fashion site, then i realized that svbtle is the site i was on. It seems like the only place seeing any real product differentiation and innovation is the hardware space right now.
- Joeri 14y ago
  Really good ideas can be started at any time, and don't suffer from competitive pressure. The way i see it, there are two categories of products: gold rushes and fishing expeditions. The social space is a classic gold rush scenario. The winners in that space won almost by accident, and someone else could have easily taken their place. Google on the other hand started as a fishing expedition. If they hadn't built it back when they did, we might have used altavisa for another 5 years and been none the wiser.
- charlieok 14y ago
  I agree that Svbtle and Medium have a similar look and overall design sensibility. But in the interest of giving credit where it is due... Svbtle's announcement is dated March 22, 2012 http://dcurt.is/codename-svbtle https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3742314 Medium's announcement is dated October 29, 2012 https://medium.com/about/9e53ca408c48 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4383283 (not to mention Obtvse) So, I think Dustin deserves some credit for originality on this one.
  - xemoka 14y ago
    Originality? You mean iteration right?
    - charlieok 14y ago
      My impression is that he came up with a design successful enough that it has well-known imitators. Can you say a bit about what you mean by “iteration”?
npsimons 14y ago
It's not a terrible thing, I was right there with you until this. What do you mean "it's not a terrible thing"? Someone trying to change the world for the better, and they fail, that's not terrible? Someone giving up on their dreams, is that not terrible? Sure, sure, everyone has to pay the bills, and I'm not going to fault anyone who tries and fails, but it still (at a minimum) disappoints me every time I see someone with talent and/or skill waste it on something of no lasting value or meaning.

nashequilibrium 14y ago

You really hit the nail on the head and i agree 100% with this line " This isn't all the peak of innovation, many times it's just people working on a CRUD site trying to "disrupt big industry player x" until they run out of money and then resort to the same cheap tactics as everyone else." I have to ask myself is it worth it to start a web or mobile phone startup right now or wait a few yrs. The reason why i am thinking along these lines, is because it is so hard to find product differentiation in this climate with everyone running lean and trampling all over each other. An example, i clicked on the above link and assumed i was on the website Medium, but then i saw that he was the creator of svbtle, so i decide to check it out, assuming it might be a fashion site, then i realized that svbtle is the site i was on. It seems like the only place seeing any real product differentiation and innovation is the hardware space right now.

Joeri 14y ago
Really good ideas can be started at any time, and don't suffer from competitive pressure. The way i see it, there are two categories of products: gold rushes and fishing expeditions. The social space is a classic gold rush scenario. The winners in that space won almost by accident, and someone else could have easily taken their place. Google on the other hand started as a fishing expedition. If they hadn't built it back when they did, we might have used altavisa for another 5 years and been none the wiser.
charlieok 14y ago
I agree that Svbtle and Medium have a similar look and overall design sensibility. But in the interest of giving credit where it is due... Svbtle's announcement is dated March 22, 2012 http://dcurt.is/codename-svbtle https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3742314 Medium's announcement is dated October 29, 2012 https://medium.com/about/9e53ca408c48 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4383283 (not to mention Obtvse) So, I think Dustin deserves some credit for originality on this one.
- xemoka 14y ago
  Originality? You mean iteration right?
  - charlieok 14y ago
    My impression is that he came up with a design successful enough that it has well-known imitators. Can you say a bit about what you mean by “iteration”?

npsimons 14y ago

It's not a terrible thing, I was right there with you until this. What do you mean "it's not a terrible thing"? Someone trying to change the world for the better, and they fail, that's not terrible? Someone giving up on their dreams, is that not terrible? Sure, sure, everyone has to pay the bills, and I'm not going to fault anyone who tries and fails, but it still (at a minimum) disappoints me every time I see someone with talent and/or skill waste it on something of no lasting value or meaning.