
Why Ideas Matter More Than Execution - alive2007
https://medium.com/@omarh/startups-dont-fail-their-founders-do-why-ideas-matter-6c86ee332604
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exolymph
Spoiler alert: they don't. Wrote a slightly longer rebuttal on Medium:
[https://medium.com/@sonyaellenmann/cmon-this-is-
oversimplify...](https://medium.com/@sonyaellenmann/cmon-this-is-
oversimplifying-197cf9ea3e60#.985lmv1h1)

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alive2007
In a philosophical sense, it is not helpful to perceive the difference between
"ideas" and "execution" as a binary reduction on two sets. Instead, I view it
as the idea-execution gradient.

The theoretical limit on an idea-first mindset is 'literally only your idea
matters. It doesn't matter how you execute it.' The theoretical limit on an
execution-first mindset is 'literally only your execution matters. It doesn't
matter what the idea is'. We can represent your stance on this gradient with a
rational number coefficient, M. What you believe Matters.

If you have a low M, you are idea-first. If you have a high M, you are
execution-first.

Let's assume the existence of a hypothetically Platonic M. By definition,
founders of the most successful startups have a Platonic M.

My point was, I believed the Platonic M is currently _far_ lower than what the
Valley rhetoric advocates for.

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exolymph
I agree with this comment -- excepting the last sentence -- but it's a far cry
from what the Medium article said.

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alive2007
Perhaps my subjective belief of the Valley rhetoric is wrong.

