

Ask HN: What does it mean if others have failed doing what I'd like to do? - ohnine

I have always wanted to provide a service online, and I would also like to make money while doing it. So far, there were two ideas that got me excited, both times I thought they were completely original and on the right track. However, both times, while doing research I've found that other people have had the EXACT same idea (in one case, their execution was even better than what I had planned) and then abandoned the project.&#60;p&#62;Should I take the hint and move on from these ideas or does this not mean much?
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nostrademons
If someone did the _exact_ thing you were planning to do and it failed, it's
probably not a good idea. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over
again and expecting a different result." -- Albert Einstein

If someone did something _close_ to what you want to do and it failed, that
doesn't necessarily mean much. The success drivers for a breakthrough business
are often really subtle, and if you miss one key aspect you miss the market.
It's quite possible for a previous product to be _almost_ there but not quite,
and then someone to do it just slightly different and be a huge success. (See:
Altavista vs. Google, GO vs. Microsoft Tablet PC vs. the iPad, LiveJournal vs.
Friendster vs. MySpace vs. Facebook, Google Video vs. YouTube).

