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

No One Will Steal Your Big Idea

cognoscenti.wbur.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 74 posts

Re: No One Will Steal Your Big Idea

#51

Post by gfodor »

The problem is what you mean by the word idea. I get tired of hearing "execution is everything" because what that really means is "details matter."

Instagram is a good example of this. "A mobile app where people can share photos" is not a very valuable idea. "A mobile app where people can add filters to imbue meaning into photos, combined with a quick and beautiful interface, combined with a social stream, commenting, favoriting, and notifications, packaged into a easy to use app" turned out to be more valuable. Even more valuable is that idea combined with a number of sketches, designs, user surveys, and proofs of concepts. These levels of detail all fall under the umbrella of "idea" -- but it's understanding the core thesis of an idea combined with being able to see it's consequences in the details that can actually be valuable.

This means sharing your idea can be dangerous if a) you are sharing it at a sufficient level of detail and b) you are sharing it with someone who can empathize with the thesis of the idea and draw the same logical conclusions in terms of implementation details. Basically, if someone "gets it" and can execute on that understanding.

Re: No One Will Steal Your Big Idea

#52

Post by 6ren »

nathanstitt wrote: post #23
api wrote: post #2

I have seen cases where predatory hustler types have cozied up to entrepreneurs to steal various intangibles: intellectual property, time, publicity, and yes, ideas. Yet this isn't exactly what this article is talking about. I agree with the article in general-- that "stealth mode" is usually unnecessary and isolating and that people simply stealing an idea is pretty rare to non-existent. What's even more rare is som…

Exactly. Every time I've seen someone attempt to 'steal' an idea, they aren't up to the challenge of executing on it. I believe the reason for this is that there a very strong correlation between the type of personality that would consider stealing someone else's idea and then not wanting to put in the hard work of making it a reality. That's not to say that it doesn't happen. I myself have seen someone do something…

I think you're exactly right: the danger isn't outright theft, but inspiring something even better. As you say, that's progress. SOTSOG.

But it would be nice to reap some reward for your blood, sweat and tears; to at least have your day in the sun before being eclipsed.

Re: No One Will Steal Your Big Idea

#53

Post by jlgreco »

rprasad wrote: post #43
droithomme wrote: post #21

The article takes a truth and expands it to a generalization that is not correct. The vast majority of ideas their imaginer has conceived are useless, impractical, unrealizable, pointless, trivial, overly complex and/or their proponents incapable of either execution or funding of the idea. So whether it is secret or not does not matter. If you are a recognized leader in your field, you often find you less talented co…

Apple is so secretive with its development process for the same reason bank robbers are paranoid about other people stealing their money; it's how they got where they are and they can't imagine that there's any other way to do it. Pretty much every major "new" Apple feature of the past decade was a standard feature in Android, Blackberry, WinMo (yes, WinMo), or Symbian, or was a feature in one or more such phones. Ap…

> bank robbers are paranoid about other people stealing their money

Maybe that's just because they have unusually large piles of cash lying around, and can't exactly go to the police if someone tries to take it? Seems like a pretty rational paranoia to me.

Re: No One Will Steal Your Big Idea

#54

Post by jyap »

rhizome wrote: post #41
paulhauggis wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Yet this isn't exactly what this article is talking about. I agree with the article in general-- that "stealth mode" is usually unnecessary and isolating and that people simply stealing an idea is pretty rare to non-existent. What's even more rare is someone successfully stealing an idea. Usually anyone mediocre enough to want to lift someone else's idea isn't up to execution." What about companies that have more re…

What about companies that have more resources than the lone-app developer/company? Organizational inertia. It takes longer to steer a large ship.

It doesn't need a large ship. It can be a dedicated smaller team but one fully equipped with more resources (servers, a marketing department) compared to the start up.

Re: No One Will Steal Your Big Idea

#55

Post by eranation »

I got all my big ideas "stolen", but not because I talked about them or told them to anyone, they were stolen because I didn't do anything with them, and waited till I have the best design, best business plan, best team, till my kids grow up, till I save enough money, what not. Someone else thought about it too, and simply went on and did something about it.

Re: No One Will Steal Your Big Idea

#56

Post by OldSchool »

smacktoward wrote: post #19

"Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats." -- Howard H. Aiken, designer of the Harvard Mark I computer ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_H._Aiken )

That really captures the truth of the whole matter! +++++

Re: No One Will Steal Your Big Idea

#59

Post by WalterBright »

api wrote: post #2

I have seen cases where predatory hustler types have cozied up to entrepreneurs to steal various intangibles: intellectual property, time, publicity, and yes, ideas. Yet this isn't exactly what this article is talking about. I agree with the article in general-- that "stealth mode" is usually unnecessary and isolating and that people simply stealing an idea is pretty rare to non-existent. What's even more rare is som…

Interestingly, I've been reading a book on the Wright brothers. Even experimenters who were aware of the Wright's progress before they flew were unable to capitalize on the (correct) Wright ideas, because they didn't believe them, or they had to do it their own way, or whatever.

Re: No One Will Steal Your Big Idea

#60

Post by niggler »

nathanstitt wrote: post #23
api wrote: post #2

I have seen cases where predatory hustler types have cozied up to entrepreneurs to steal various intangibles: intellectual property, time, publicity, and yes, ideas. Yet this isn't exactly what this article is talking about. I agree with the article in general-- that "stealth mode" is usually unnecessary and isolating and that people simply stealing an idea is pretty rare to non-existent. What's even more rare is som…

Exactly. Every time I've seen someone attempt to 'steal' an idea, they aren't up to the challenge of executing on it. I believe the reason for this is that there a very strong correlation between the type of personality that would consider stealing someone else's idea and then not wanting to put in the hard work of making it a reality. That's not to say that it doesn't happen. I myself have seen someone do something…

Could you give a quick summary of what happened? Reading the post and the HN comments (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=968018) gave me a mixed picture
Post reply on HN