The next big thing will start out looking like a toy (2010)

Disruptive technologies are dismissed as toys because when they are first launched they “undershoot” user needs. The first telephone could only carry voices a mile or two. The leading telco of the time, Western Union, passed on acquiring the phone because they didn’t see how it could possibly be useful to businesses and railroads – their primary customers. What they failed to anticipate was how rapidly telephone technology and infrastructure would improve (technology adoption is usually non-linear due to so-called complementary network effects). The same was true of how mainframe companies viewed the PC (microcomputer), and how modern telecom companies viewed Skype.

via (https://cdixon.org/2010/01/03/the-next-big-thing-will-start-out-looking-like-a-toy/)

found this on HN and thought you guys might like it.

Submitted October 22, 2019 at 01:52PM by Milliohm https://ift.tt/2MDv6gt