Who would you not tell your great idea to?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50960

by steffon • 19 years ago

2 3 19 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

It's an entrepreneur's job to get out there and hype their ideas. But prudence and good judgement still apply. I received advice once to not fully explain my ideas to a large corporation because they have the resources to develop it quickly and/or without me. Who would you not tell your idea to and why? Any horror stories of "bad judgement"?

_bq• 19 years ago

Good question. Well, at first i told the world every single business idea i had in mind, not thinking anything of it because of my insignificance in the world, but boy, did i learn a very valuable lesson.You just remember that there are SOME multi-billion dollar company's out there who don't care about little bobby boo and will do anything just to capitalize on their own agenda's.

-cough-

IBM.

bootload• 19 years ago

"... received advice once to not fully explain my ideas to a large corporation because they have the resources to develop it quickly and/or without me ..."

Don't believe everything you hear. Large corporations are about as likely to take your idea and run with it as an Aircraft carrier doing a 180.

Why? Momentum.

Momentum means ability to take a new idea on, think about it and execute. It also means being able to communicate the idea to Learned leaders then asking permission. So by the time it gets there your most likely to get someone with a business degree [0] making a snap decision on some hypothetical tech idea. The other thing is most large corporations area of expertise is probably not hacking (MS, IBM, SAP all have hackers but management is still the problem).

Also telling someone about an idea is pretty lame because ideas are worth, well nothing. But a demonstration of and idea that works? Demonstrating something will spur others to do something ... maybe throw large offers your way.

I did read a post here some time ago of someone mentioning an idea (to a trusted friend) who then created a coy, hired outsourced coders. So demo first, shout second. Shout loud.

[0] Phil Greenspun mentions this in FOW, Ch24, P238 where the head of Wal-Mart, Kevin Turner had but one business degree. This doesn't mean he's not smart but it takes years to train in tech. Is one general are of expertise enough?

vikram• 19 years ago

In "Growing the business" Paul Hawken says that if people tell you that something is a great idea then it is to late. It means that it already exists that is why the people who think its a great idea could recognize it in the first place.

So if people tell you that's nuts or that you are too late or that it would never work, then you might be on to something. In that case you don't need to worry about any one copying it as it will be absolutely unique to you.

Who would you not tell your great idea to?

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