

Startups - don´t outsource coding [video] - eurohacker
http://video.forbes.com/fvn/tech/start-ups-dont-outsource-coding

======
RiderOfGiraffes
Please, _Please_ people follow the guidelines:

    
    
        In Submissions
    
        If you submit a link to a video or pdf, please warn us
        by appending [video] or [pdf] to the title.
    

I've just had to hunt through some 100 or so open tabs to find the one with
the audio that I didn't want and didn't expect.

...

And after all that it said (paraphrased): Do the coding yourself so you can
iterate faster - assume your competitors are doing the coding themselves, and
realise you have to compete against them, so you have to iterate faster.
Outsourcing slows you down.

<shrug> Wasn't worth the 2 minutes taken to find it.

~~~
rudiger
Outsourcing is slower than in-house development, but it scales a bit more.
It's a lot faster to outsource the development of multiple iOS apps than to
develop them yourself.

~~~
tluyben2
Not if they are very different. I agree it's not a long term solution, but in
house coders in a startup just don't sleep and work until done AND they know
what has to be done. When something is off, they rapidly change/fix it. There
are people making prototypes (working, not just screens) of iOS apps in a few
days, good enough to visit potential clients / investors. There is no
outsourcing process capable of doing that; explaining will take you more time.
And outsourcers have no other incentive than payment, so they just go home at
5.

Where you would be right is if you want the same app coded on iOS / BB /
Android / mobile Win / etc. Then you explain ones and you can put n expert
teams on those.

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baberuth
to save everyone the trouble of watching a very slow video, the basic insight
is:

    
    
        if you are working the mobile space, you need to code.  there are teams of
        2-4 dedicated hackers working on your idea, so if you're outsourcing development,
        they can iterate 20x a day and you can only iterate once.
        as such, you will lose.
    

That said, "Don't outsource coding" is too big a statement. Naval is saying
"IF you're working in a crowded space, your iteration cycle will be too slow
if you outsource".

There are times when outsourcing coding makes plenty of sense.

------
centro
While these kids clearly don't understand what Philip Rosedale is building (or
even the space they're entering) you still shouldn't blindly accept what Naval
Ravikant is saying. They're obviously naive about how much their app should
cost to build and are at a distinct disadvantage because of their naiveté, but
outsourcing in the this way could allow you to iterate faster and more
effectively than if you only relied on your smaller team alone. Believe me I
am no fan of outsourcing in general, but blind generalizations like this are
harmful and misinformed. I am a little disappointed that I am starting to see
submissions like this on Hacker News.

Please go watch the Foundation Philip Rosedale interview and learn about his
concept before you dismiss it <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irF-V9RUuXo>

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creativityhurts
Programming is not for anyone. You can't just say "oh dude, you have this idea
but you have to learn iOS and Ruby and Java and JavaScript (because, surprise,
they're not the same) so you can implement what you design and then try to
sell it". Don't outsource coding, don't outsource design, don't outsource
anything! Find co-founders that share the same values as you do and can
complete the team with design or coding skills.

~~~
tansey
If coding is not for everyone, then maybe technology-based startups aren't for
everyone. If all you are bringing to the table is an idea and a business
degree, then I will absolutely tell you that you need to learn coding. The
video is 4 college students (I assume they're business students since they are
outsourcing) who want to do a loyalty card program for smart phones.

They brought an idea to the table. Now they told you their idea. At this
point, they're redundant.

~~~
creativityhurts
That wasn't my point — I'm a coder, btw and I'm totally 100% with your
comment. My point was that if you don't know how to code, get a team mate or a
co-founder that does. Same goes for design.

------
orionlogic
For the curious ones, this is the service mentioned in the interview :
<http://www.lovemachineinc.com/>

I would say "divide and conquer model of social coding."

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rch
'non-coding founders'

What a fantastic designation.

:)

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statictype
See also: <http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000007.html>

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gte910h
You have to go to 2:55 to get to the part about this topic.

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noduerme
Sorry, I just had to go back to that part where two really truly retarded
things are said back to back:

"We started to iterate the product..." Translation: We smoked some weed and
someone was like, "Dude, IPHONE APP!"

"How scalable do you think our idea is, do you think it's a good idea?" Not
sure where to start but, Dude, is "Scalable" like the new "dope"? "sick"?
"rad"? "dudical?" "mega"?

------
geoffw8
Honestly, the title says enough for me. Experienced first hand. LEARN HOW TO
CODE THERE IS NO OTHER WAY

...without spending more $$$£££ than you should...

...unless your color.com and have cash to burn!

