Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: metaphors (Anti-Microsoft sentiment)

Author:Joshua Allen
Posted:9/16/2000; 10:45:32 PM
Topic:Debunking the OSS Bazaar?
Msg #:21431 (In response to 21429)
Prev/Next:21430 / 21432

I think the Darwinian metaphor causes a misleading assumption that companies naturally die off just like individual members of animal species.

Sometimes companies eat other companies to become stronger, sometimes in a hostile way. Sometimes companies find symbiotic relationships with other companies. Often the rotting of a dead company provides nutrition (in the form of talent) to other growing companies. Of the fortune 500 companies on the list in 1970, 20% no longer exist in any form. All the same can be said of animals. All of these we tolerate. (well, we do have endangered species protection for animals, but lets not go there :-))

BTW, the reason Apple did not go out of business is that there are tons of smart people there and it only took someone like Jobs to come back and provide some focus and motivation for the talent (in my opinion).

There are responses to this message:

This page was archived on 6/13/2001; 4:56:44 PM.

© Copyright 1998-2001 UserLand Software, Inc.