Re:Patio11's Law: The software economy is bigger than you think
by heipei on Wednesday May 13, 2020 @02:30AM
(#23164086)
For what it's worth, those German Mittelstand companies are the exact opposite of what's usually referred to as a unicorn. They are small to medium-size, multi-generational family-run and family-owned businesses that focus on a very narrow set of products, such as just making gears for automative applications, or ball bearings, or blades. The people working there often work there their whole life, with the understanding that the company doesn't take any gambles and will do its utmost to not lay them off even in recessions such as right now.
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Re:Patio11's Law: The software economy is bigger than you think
by rorykoehler on Wednesday May 13, 2020 @03:36AM
(#23164450)
Doesn't unicorn just mean $1B+ valuation?
Re:Patio11's Law: The software economy is bigger than you think
by andrewwharton on Wednesday May 13, 2020 @07:36AM
(#23165801)
And that hasn't IPO'd yet.
Re:Patio11's Law: The software economy is bigger than you think
by luckylion on Wednesday May 13, 2020 @08:46AM
(#23166311)
I think it has to be a startup, i.e. recently founded, hyper growth, usually VC-funded.
A company worth a lot of money that has existed for 80 years isn't a unicorn, it's just a company worth $1B+.
Re:Patio11's Law: The software economy is bigger than you think
by rorykoehler on Wednesday May 13, 2020 @09:55AM
(#23166902)
When is a startup not a startup anymore. Are Facebook and Google still startups?
Re:Patio11's Law: The software economy is bigger than you think
by kirubakaran on Wednesday May 13, 2020 @09:18PM
(#23174043)
I like Steve Blank's definition of a start-up: "a temporary organization used to search for a repeatable and scalable business model"
Once you're executing on a scalable business model, you're a regular business.