Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Is it still worth pursuing a software startup?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 239 posts

Re: Ask HN: Is it still worth pursuing a software startup?

#141

Post by raw_anon_1111 »

artyom wrote: post #59

> Big companies can copy your product in no time Your advantage in this case, now or 10 years ago, is that this is simply not true. If your business is "a flashlight app", yeah, eventually they'll copy it (as it happened). However they'll take an unusual long time to do that simple thing (as it also happened). Why? Because everything at big companies is a political game, full of internal conflicts, multiple prioritie…

That’s a whole lot of ifs. At the end of this long road filled with if’s, what are the chances that he can have a profit large enough to overcome the opportunity cost of not just working as an enterprise dev in a 2nd tier city and have continuing profits or have a meaningful exit?

Re: Ask HN: Is it still worth pursuing a software startup?

#142

Post by raw_anon_1111 »

_bypa wrote: post #88
pankajdoharey wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t worry big companies still can’t copy anything quickly, even with AI. Why? Because before they can ship a single feature, they’ll need to schedule 42 alignment meetings, debate AI-generated slide decks, and log their “strategic pivots” into an AI-curated Jira board. The real moat isn’t just code it’s speed, focus, user trust, and the ability to actually ship. Those are things bloated orgs struggle with, with or…

The real moat is not being forced to use Jira then.

I don’t do side projects related to computers and never have in 30 years. But I still use a Trello board to keep myself organized

Re: Ask HN: Is it still worth pursuing a software startup?

#143

Post by raw_anon_1111 »

WheelsAtLarge wrote: post #2

Yes! All startups are created to solve a problem, regardless of the tools used. Apps are simply tools to solve human problems. Because humans will always have challenges to address, software will remain a vital tool. While AI makes writing software much easier. It's likely to lead to an explosion of new apps. Only those that fill a genuine need will survive. Your job is to identify these new problems and determine wh…

These startups were not created to solve a problem, some didn’t even have a technical person. These startups were created to be VC bait and hopefully sell out to the bigger fool

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Uy2aWoeRZopMIaXXxY2E...

Re: Ask HN: Is it still worth pursuing a software startup?

#144

Post by raw_anon_1111 »

dahart wrote: post #110
latexr wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> All startups are created to solve a problem And most of the time that problem is “the founders don’t have as much money as they want”. > Apps are simply tools to solve human problems. Because humans will always have challenges to address, software will remain a vital tool. You make it sound like it’s something noble, but let’s not pretend most software companies these days don’t have “make me rich” as the top goal.…

This seems like a very jaded comment, and if it’s because you got burned in a startup, then you have my sympathy and I’m sorry for debating. Just know that not everyone is running on nothing but greed. You might be confusing VCs with startup founders a bit. VCs are definitely profit motivated, by design. It’s going too far, and incorrect IMO, to suggest even VCs, or anyone involved, doesn’t care about building soluti…

It doesn’t matter what the motivations were for the founders once they take VC money. The purpose of tge company then becomes the exit.

Your personal sample doesn’t jibe with the literally thousands of even YC companies

Re: Ask HN: Is it still worth pursuing a software startup?

#145

Post by latexr »

dahart wrote: post #116
latexr wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would expect it to be obvious that caring about making money above fixing a problem means the problem won’t be solved that well compared to the alternative. Are you really going to claim you never encountered a startup that is obviously shitting on customers and degrading the experience to make a buck? Do you honestly believe all startups are created to solve a problem (the original claim I responded to) and none a…

This is to some extent a false dichotomy. Generally speaking, products that prioritize fixing a problem “above” making money do not exist. There are no alternatives. Businesses can’t sustain that. Sometimes it happens for a short while, and eventually they reduce the level of service, or charge more money, or die. I don’t know why you’re picking on startups. Big companies are where you see enshittification the most,…

> I don’t know why you’re picking on startups.

Read the thread. I’m not “picking on startups”, the conversation is about startups. Yes, Big companies do it too, that’s just not what this particular conversation is about.

Re: Ask HN: Is it still worth pursuing a software startup?

#146

Post by journal »

Yes if people have to learn how to use it. Make something that will last centuries not just a couple of decades. 700 years ago they invented double-entry method of accounting which is still used today. Relational databases were invented recently as well and will survive well past most front-end frameworks. Eventually skynet will be invented but no one believes me just like no one would have believed that aluminum tubes would be flying through the sky or enriching uranium. If before you couldn't open a winapi window, now you can do that in one sentence instruction, and you'll have a good starting point. Things are changing. Look at accounting, accountants don't even do accounting anymore, they're just QB users.

Re: Ask HN: Is it still worth pursuing a software startup?

#147

Post by sodafountan »

Sure, the world still needs software. Perhaps even more so now with the advent of AI.

There's still a ridiculously minuscule chance that you'll end up profitable, let alone successful.

I read that software, from a business perspective, is almost always looked at as a liability rather than an asset. There just isn't very much profitable software in this world, and the software that can become profitable likely subsidizes its business with advertising. The only saving grace is that software that becomes profitable can typically scale. See Facebook, TikTok, Google.

Games sell but are risky and creatively demanding.

Software is a tough business.

Re: Ask HN: Is it still worth pursuing a software startup?

#148

Post by sequin »

swiftcoder wrote: post #108
elif wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately any pro-AI viewpoint, no matter how uncontroversial, will be immediately dismissed and down voted here. Doesn't make it not true.

The proof is really in the pudding, isn't it? I don't see a wave of successful vibe-coded startups in the market yet. That's kind of the benchmark for whether this stuff actually does in practice what the AI-hypemen claim it can.

Rather the opposite. A vibe-coded startup cannot survive if it can be trivially duplicated. The proof will be in observing the inverse phenomenon; (pure) software companies disappearing.

Re: Ask HN: Is it still worth pursuing a software startup?

#149

Post by johnsmith1840 »

matt_heimer wrote: post #32
johnsmith1840 wrote: post #24

Build something novel, what has changed?

I'd argue the question was wrong, it's not that big companies can copy you easier now. They could have always invaded your space and destroyed your business. As other pointed out it was always picking up the pennies that they didn't want until those pennies became dollars. The concern now is that other small team or solo developers can rebuild what you have very quickly. This happened in the mobile space with all the…

That's the same it's always been?

Building something hard cannot be replicated easily or at all. People can and always have stolen things.

I do agree that you just have to move faster but again that's the same.

Post reply on HN