Not so hot take: The Soul of a New Machine is a story of a company with no moat.
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Kidder covers the story of an amazing effort to build a new computer in the minicomputer wars of the 70s. 10 years later, Data General was a has-been, and 20 years later, it was gone.
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The lesson isn’t “oh, you need a moat (or Power, ala 7 Powers) to be a successful business” — although that much is true! DG did die 20 years later!
The lesson is that moatless companies can live a LONGGG time. (Though to be precise DG was killed more by disruption than arb).
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Moats became necessary after the development of siege engines, and were then replaced by eg Vauban-style "star forts," steep glacises, etc. Data General didn't need 'em. Startups won't either in 20 years: it'll be something else.
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Data General just needed engineers working endless hours in a basement! 😜
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That certainly couldn't happen today!
Cause it's really hard to find a startup with basement offices nowadays...
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