Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

> All failed companies are the same: They failed to escape competition.

This is absurd; most failed companies didn't face any competition because they didn't find a market; you can argue that they in some way failed to escape competition from alternative products to their own, that a firm is in competition with every other firm on the planet because they all fight for the money of their customers, etc., but this is specious.

Failed companies failed to sell above cost, and most failed to sell at all. Not much to do with competition.




> This is absurd; most failed companies didn't face any competition because they didn't find a market

You are saying the majority of companies that fail produce a product with no market?

I doubt that's the case. There is a market, however small and a product that is similar or can be substituted for your product is still in direct competition.


Yes, I may be exaggerating but that's what I'm saying; -- many restaurants would still have no customers even if they were the only restaurant in the world.


If you take this analysis one step further, one could argue that a company which fails to sell profitably before its death is not a company at all; it's a hobby or charity, redirecting invested time and money to its customers.


Many companies fail long before they even manage to create a product, never mind figure out how to produce it, distribute it, etc. There's a long list of reasons why, not many have to do with competition.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: