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Businesses should try to be the best, not the biggest

joanwestenberg.medium.com

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Re: Businesses should try to be the best, not the biggest

#121

Post by 3np »

koonsolo wrote: post #109

I once worked at a company where I didn't understand why they took certain decisions. In the end, it all became very clear. My mindset from "these guys have no idea" shifted towards "wow, they are smart, I didn't get this part". Basically, they were acquiring customers faster than anyone could follow. Our development goal was "fast and opportunistic". As you can expect, the product was full of bugs, and customer supp…

Anyone aiming for VC money should realize that this is what's coming, in the vast majority of cases, no matter how different expectations might be set initially.

Re: Businesses should try to be the best, not the biggest

#122

Post by qazpot »

hh3k0 wrote: post #118
dm319 wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a growing body of thought that capitalism and, more specifically, continued growth, is unsustainable. A lot of the literature focuses around the environment [1], but we should also think about businesses that perform a useful community service or product to their community - must they always grow? If not, must their competitor? [1] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1558/jocr.v5i2.197

"We have a finite environment—the planet. Anyone who thinks that you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman or an economist." David Attenborough

SpaceX is trying to solve the finite environment problem.

Re: Businesses should try to be the best, not the biggest

#123

Post by batmenace »

chii wrote: post #120
koonsolo wrote: post #109

I once worked at a company where I didn't understand why they took certain decisions. In the end, it all became very clear. My mindset from "these guys have no idea" shifted towards "wow, they are smart, I didn't get this part". Basically, they were acquiring customers faster than anyone could follow. Our development goal was "fast and opportunistic". As you can expect, the product was full of bugs, and customer supp…

> I didn't see how this would ever turn into a success story. We were digging a grave. But I didn't realize 1 thing: we were not selling a product, we were selling the company. why don't the executive making this goal clear to the "underlings"?

I'm guessing you want to avoid word getting out that could spoil the deal / depress the price?

Re: Businesses should try to be the best, not the biggest

#124

Post by vharuck »

LockAndLol wrote: post #110
meowster wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. I feel like a lot of people aren't parsing the title correctly. IF the purpose of the company. Not the purpose of all companies. Humanity doesn't have purpose other than what we make of it. We can strive to maximize enjoyment while keeping population flat if we wanted to. Edit: The title was changed, it was something like: If a company's sole purpose is to grow, then it is no different from a cancer.

We can but we don't. Our biological drive, coupled with our lack of volition to reason about it, is to reproduce. Most people don't care if pumping out a unit is the worst thing contribution to the planet's environment, they'll do it just because.

This idea doesn't grok with falling birthrates in wealthy nations. People don't just live to reproduce. There is a biological drive to reproduce, but it is not unchecked. So the cancer metaphor is apt.

Re: Businesses should try to be the best, not the biggest

#125

Post by zpeti »

chii wrote: post #119
zpeti wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then your management aren't very good. The reason is that every business, or system gets worse if you don't improve it. Call it entropy in physics. If you don't try and improve, pay attention to the market, adapt, move, change, or at least maintain or build a moat, competition will inevitably want to have what you've got. It's why capitalism works. If you get old, and don't satisfy your customers, someone else will.…

> If you don't try and improve, pay attention to the market, adapt, move, change, or at least maintain or build a moat, competition will inevitably want to have what you've got. It's why capitalism works. If you get old, and don't satisfy your customers, someone else will. only in a competitive market. There are markets which don't behave freely, and some would call those market failures. Health insurance, and health…

Fair point. Of course a lot of those industries have sown up regulation and spend enough of lobbying to not have to do shit. Unfortunately.

Re: Businesses should try to be the best, not the biggest

#126

Post by wpietri »

The title reminds me of a comment from a regional bank CEO during the mortgage bubble. When asked why his bank wasn't going whole hog for the newer sorts of loan, which were growing like crazy at the time, he said, "If it grows too fast, it's a weed." That's always stuck with me.

Re: Businesses should try to be the best, not the biggest

#127

Post by Matticus_Rex »

hh3k0 wrote: post #118
dm319 wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a growing body of thought that capitalism and, more specifically, continued growth, is unsustainable. A lot of the literature focuses around the environment [1], but we should also think about businesses that perform a useful community service or product to their community - must they always grow? If not, must their competitor? [1] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1558/jocr.v5i2.197

"We have a finite environment—the planet. Anyone who thinks that you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman or an economist." David Attenborough

One thing this argument misses is that much of economic growth comes not from increasing consumption, but from making that consumption more efficient.

Re: Businesses should try to be the best, not the biggest

#128

Post by SpocksBrain »

chii wrote: post #120
koonsolo wrote: post #109

I once worked at a company where I didn't understand why they took certain decisions. In the end, it all became very clear. My mindset from "these guys have no idea" shifted towards "wow, they are smart, I didn't get this part". Basically, they were acquiring customers faster than anyone could follow. Our development goal was "fast and opportunistic". As you can expect, the product was full of bugs, and customer supp…

> I didn't see how this would ever turn into a success story. We were digging a grave. But I didn't realize 1 thing: we were not selling a product, we were selling the company. why don't the executive making this goal clear to the "underlings"?

Because if they did, that info would most certainly get out and negatively affect the company’s reputation.

Re: Businesses should try to be the best, not the biggest

#130

Post by 3np »

chii wrote: post #120
koonsolo wrote: post #109

I once worked at a company where I didn't understand why they took certain decisions. In the end, it all became very clear. My mindset from "these guys have no idea" shifted towards "wow, they are smart, I didn't get this part". Basically, they were acquiring customers faster than anyone could follow. Our development goal was "fast and opportunistic". As you can expect, the product was full of bugs, and customer supp…

> I didn't see how this would ever turn into a success story. We were digging a grave. But I didn't realize 1 thing: we were not selling a product, we were selling the company. why don't the executive making this goal clear to the "underlings"?

I don't know thei particular situation, but it can be many things. The executive might have a lare degree of congnitive disonnance (still fully beliving in the things they tell their employees in the moment). Alternatively they may judge that being fully open with their employees will have negative consequences. And, heck, I think many are fully transparent but some employees just turn a deaf ear to certain things in order to maintain some variety of identity.
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