tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20646966.post1130938096543335783..comments2008-06-30T00:51:54.649-07:00Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17924943461128606986noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20646966.post-65779816463098821682008-06-30T00:51:00.000-07:002008-06-30T00:51:00.000-07:00@jason - Pretty much any software (or business model for that matter) can be replicated. The thing that prevents a bigger company just building it themselves is the same thing that prevented them from building it in the first place... they're big. So much easier and cheaper for them just to buy up the little guy.<BR/><BR/>That said, you're absolutely correct that things like a lager user base (particularly with network effect applications) and such do form a barrier to entry for the larger company. On the other hand, they have deep pockets and can spend the time and marketing dollars needed to gain users.<BR/><BR/>I still think that this is a good way to look at a lot of the "un-monetizable" web 2.0 companies.Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17924943461128606986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20646966.post-29965521249349313072008-06-29T16:39:00.000-07:002008-06-29T16:39:00.000-07:00Hmm, interesting idea. The only potential problem is that once you've shown that a feature is useful and compelling, you need to worry about one of the bigger companies just implementing the feature themselves. Also, there is the non-trivial cost of integrating the "outsider"'s tech with your own.<BR/><BR/><BR/>It seems like the missing ingredient here is that the startup needs something special that cannot be replicated. That might be a large subscriber base, lots of apps written to use your APIs, etc. Getting that special thing is also key.Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08967648056365734610noreply@blogger.com