If information was of no value, then we wouldn't have insider trading laws, nor intellectual property laws. Stealth mode attempts to avert premature competition. If you don't set out to make money, then release early! Linux is an excellent example of where stealth mode would have inhibited the project.
Ask HN: If ideas are worthless, why are some startups in stealth mode?
61–70 of 93 posts
Re: Ask HN: If ideas are worthless, why are some startups in stealth mode?
#62The idea that "ideas are worthless" is just a gross overstatement designed to knock some sense into people who are so afraid of sharing their thoughts that they lock up. It's no coincidence that the people most often spouting the cliche are in the venture funding business.
Ideas, of course, are not worthless. Ideas are information, and if the internet has told us one thing, it's that information (and the control of information) is very, very powerful.
Re: Ask HN: If ideas are worthless, why are some startups in stealth mode?
#63Ideas aren't worthless. They are a necessary but not sufficient condition for success.
The "ideas are worthless" meme is hyperbole and groupthink.
Re: Ask HN: If ideas are worthless, why are some startups in stealth mode?
#64If you're not marketing to tech people, then you've got nothing to gain and everything to lose by talking about it on places like HN. As usual, I'll give Patrick of Bingo Card Creator as my example. He has been completely transparent with us guys about what he's doing and how he's doing it. We have a complete blueprint for how to compete with him. None of us are going to bother, because it's a very small market oppor…
Is there really any software you can build in hours or days and return vast sums of money? If you have a really specific market, I would imagine even if the software itself was simple, the challenge would be marketing it to that group.
If there is, he's probably not going to tell you about it. :)
Re: Ask HN: If ideas are worthless, why are some startups in stealth mode?
#65I think everyone in stealth mode is probably making a mistake. The minute people start copying everything you do, is the minute you know you've won the whole ballgame.
Re: Ask HN: If ideas are worthless, why are some startups in stealth mode?
#66Ideas are not worthless; in fact, good ideas can save you a lot of resources. I say this because ideas are inextricably linked to the market size and market potential. If the market is declining, too small, or non-existent, you are not going to be able to execute your way out of a bad idea.
Re: Ask HN: If ideas are worthless, why are some startups in stealth mode?
#67The PR value of launching a complete product can be higher than trickling out iterations on an idea. "Today we're announcing we think we know how to build a faster database" vs. "Today we're announcing we've built a database that benchmarks 10X faster than MySQL" -- which one gets more headlines? Of course you could trickle out ideas and then launch, but that risks being regarded as "old news" when you finally do rel…
You bring up a good point, but is that really the reason most stealth startups choose the stealth route? Isn't it more common due to them not wanting competitors to start working on their idea?
There is a non-trivial PR bump that occurs when a VC-backed company announces its strategy.
Our company is in "stealth mode". We were funded in April, but we would prefer to have our one-time 15 minutes of fame in October, so we'll be waiting until then to "exit stealth mode".
It's a PR hack, essentially.
Re: Ask HN: If ideas are worthless, why are some startups in stealth mode?
#68The point of "stealth mode" is timing. You can gain significant market advantage by springing the surprise on your (potential) competitors instead of giving them X months advance notice of your plans and ideas. Prominent recent example: ipad 2010. It was rumored alright, still I bet it led to significant constipation at Plastic Logic, Microsoft, or Amazon, not to mention all those netbook builders. To think that Plas…
To clarify: "Timing" of a "surprise" implies that the competition's ignorance is to your advsntage. This implies, by proxy, that the core idea has value.
Re: Ask HN: If ideas are worthless, why are some startups in stealth mode?
#69Because implementing them isn't.
Re: Ask HN: If ideas are worthless, why are some startups in stealth mode?
#70I have several ideas that could make millions. Honestly, but I am only one person and I don't have a team of developers. Wish I did, but I don't. I also don't have the money to quit my job either. So I keep my ideas extremely close to center so I can work on them one at a time. Heck, I even have an idea that would change the way politics in general is viewed by the public. Its revolutionary and could have a huge infl…
pretty sure this is sarcasm. good job.