Re:Ask HN: Are you put off building something because it alr...
by ska on Monday April 29, 2019 @02:51PM
(#19781394)
I don't think it's true that you always don't want to be first. It is true that it is very different being first, and requires different skills, timelines, etc. Also worth remembering that a company doing a very serviceable 3rd to market may not actually be able to pull off 1st, and that's ok too.
Re:Ask HN: Are you put off building something because it alr...
by JohnFen on Monday April 29, 2019 @03:42PM
(#19781882)
Well, yes, as soon as absolutes like "always" are used, the statement they're used in is most likely to be false.
That said, the odds aren't in favor of the ones who are first to market (although patent ownership can change the odds significantly).
Indeed.
That's the underlying reason for the hoary old truism that "the pioneers get all the arrows". In terms of business, you really don't want to be first to market. You want to be second or third, so you can learn from all the first's mistakes, and benefit from the market-building that the pioneers engaged in.