Refreshingly Anti-Disruptive Thoughts on Startups
Part of the problem seems to be that nobody these days is content to merely put their dent in the universe. No, they have to fucking own the universe. It’s not enough to be in the market, they have to dominate it. It’s not enough to serve customers, they have to capture them.
Ahh, this is a refreshing read. David from Basecamp writes a slightly ranty post about what's wrong with the whole startup scene. Not everyone needs to be chasing unicorns or trying to own the universe.
I really like David's approach to business. And I think this the best way to do business in the long term. I've had enough bad luck with startups getting acquired and seeing their service closed down. Or the company going bankcrupt because the founders or investors were unable to come up with a profitable business model. Personally, I'm getting wary about heavily funded startups that don't have a clear business model. I don't see the long term future in them.
The post is full of great quotes I'd like to add here.
There’s an incredible connection possible when you align your financial motivations with the service of your users. It’s an entirely different category of work than if you’re simply trying to capture eyeballs and sell their attention, privacy, and dignity in bulk to the highest bidder.
I'll leave it at that.