Startups - don´t outsource coding [video]

http://video.forbes.com/fvn/tech/start-ups-dont-outsource-coding

by eurohacker • 15 years ago

44 15 15 years ago

video.forbes.com

gte910h• 15 years ago

You have to go to 2:55 to get to the part about this topic.

RiderOfGiraffes• 15 years ago

Please, Please people follow the guidelines:

    In Submissions

    If you submit a link to a video or pdf, please warn us
    by appending [video] or [pdf] to the title.

I've just had to hunt through some 100 or so open tabs to find the one with the audio that I didn't want and didn't expect.

...

And after all that it said (paraphrased): Do the coding yourself so you can iterate faster - assume your competitors are doing the coding themselves, and realise you have to compete against them, so you have to iterate faster. Outsourcing slows you down.

<shrug> Wasn't worth the 2 minutes taken to find it.

rudiger• 15 years ago

Outsourcing is slower than in-house development, but it scales a bit more. It's a lot faster to outsource the development of multiple iOS apps than to develop them yourself.

tluyben2• 15 years ago

Not if they are very different. I agree it's not a long term solution, but in house coders in a startup just don't sleep and work until done AND they know what has to be done. When something is off, they rapidly change/fix it. There are people making prototypes (working, not just screens) of iOS apps in a few days, good enough to visit potential clients / investors. There is no outsourcing process capable of doing that; explaining will take you more time. And outsourcers have no other incentive than payment, so they just go home at 5.

Where you would be right is if you want the same app coded on iOS / BB / Android / mobile Win / etc. Then you explain ones and you can put n expert teams on those.

baberuth• 15 years ago

to save everyone the trouble of watching a very slow video, the basic insight is:

    if you are working the mobile space, you need to code.  there are teams of
    2-4 dedicated hackers working on your idea, so if you're outsourcing development,
    they can iterate 20x a day and you can only iterate once.
    as such, you will lose.

That said, "Don't outsource coding" is too big a statement. Naval is saying "IF you're working in a crowded space, your iteration cycle will be too slow if you outsource".

There are times when outsourcing coding makes plenty of sense.

geoffw8• 15 years ago

Honestly, the title says enough for me. Experienced first hand. LEARN HOW TO CODE THERE IS NO OTHER WAY

...without spending more $$$£££ than you should...

...unless your color.com and have cash to burn!

creativityhurts2• 15 years ago

Programming is not for anyone. You can't just say "oh dude, you have this idea but you have to learn iOS and Ruby and Java and JavaScript (because, surprise, they're not the same) so you can implement what you design and then try to sell it". Don't outsource coding, don't outsource design, don't outsource anything! Find co-founders that share the same values as you do and can complete the team with design or coding skills.

tansey• 15 years ago

If coding is not for everyone, then maybe technology-based startups aren't for everyone. If all you are bringing to the table is an idea and a business degree, then I will absolutely tell you that you need to learn coding. The video is 4 college students (I assume they're business students since they are outsourcing) who want to do a loyalty card program for smart phones.

They brought an idea to the table. Now they told you their idea. At this point, they're redundant.

noduerme2• 15 years ago

Amen!

"We have like a, uh, screenshot prototype. We don't have a uh, per se, working prototype."

Naval should have stopped them right there and said, "so, did you guys just meet on a bus stop and come up with this?"

creativityhurts2• 15 years ago

That wasn't my point — I'm a coder, btw and I'm totally 100% with your comment. My point was that if you don't know how to code, get a team mate or a co-founder that does. Same goes for design.

rch• 15 years ago

'non-coding founders'

What a fantastic designation.

centro• 15 years ago

While these kids clearly don't understand what Philip Rosedale is building (or even the space they're entering) you still shouldn't blindly accept what Naval Ravikant is saying. They're obviously naive about how much their app should cost to build and are at a distinct disadvantage because of their naiveté, but outsourcing in the this way could allow you to iterate faster and more effectively than if you only relied on your smaller team alone. Believe me I am no fan of outsourcing in general, but blind generalizations like this are harmful and misinformed. I am a little disappointed that I am starting to see submissions like this on Hacker News.

Please go watch the Foundation Philip Rosedale interview and learn about his concept before you dismiss it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irF-V9RUuXo

statictype• 15 years ago

noduerme2• 15 years ago

Sorry, I just had to go back to that part where two really truly retarded things are said back to back:

"We started to iterate the product..." Translation: We smoked some weed and someone was like, "Dude, IPHONE APP!"

"How scalable do you think our idea is, do you think it's a good idea?" Not sure where to start but, Dude, is "Scalable" like the new "dope"? "sick"? "rad"? "dudical?" "mega"?

orionlogic• 15 years ago

For the curious ones, this is the service mentioned in the interview : http://www.lovemachineinc.com/

I would say "divide and conquer model of social coding."

Startups - don´t outsource coding [video]

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