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Do Stealth Startups Suck?

Posted by timothy on from the so-secret-we-ourselves-do-not-know dept.

glinden writes "In 'Stealth Startups Suck,' Bloglines CEO Mark Fletcher argues that 'stealth mode for a web start-up is the kiss of death.' He says that moving quickly and getting feedback from early users is much more important than protecting the core idea or trying to launch a perfect product. Is there any good reason for a web startup to not be open about what it is doing? What about other kinds of software startups? What about hardware startups?"

4 of 219 comments (clear)

  1. The non-stealthy way by s20451 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dear Mr. Gates,

    I have just released a new product to surf the "World Wide Web". I call it "Netscape".

    I think something as important as this should not be kept under wraps. I would appreciate any feedback you may have!

    Yours,
    Marc Andressen

    --
    Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
  2. Re:They're good work if you can get it... by byteherder · · Score: 5, Insightful


    Could you please post the name of your company, so I can never, ever use your services?

    Does it bother you that you're a parasite?

    I think his point was that good consulting advise can not make up for bad management.

    The reasons startups fail, BAD MANAGEMENT

  3. Re:They're good work if you can get it... by jathan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You're kidding right. From the parent post it sounds like it went something like this:

    Consultant: Your business idea is stupid.
    Customer: We are brighter than you, take our money and do what we say.

    Repeat.

    At what point does the consultant not become a parasite? He indicated they told the customer it was a dumb idea, multiple times.

    Eventually you just have to except the fact that your customer is stupid and you might as well take the money as compared to someone else taking it.

  4. Redux by DingerX · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Alright, many of the preceding posts have hinted at it, but I'll lay it on the line:

    If you're a startup, you have limited resources across the board. Okay, okay, If you have tons of VC money, feel free to follow his advice, then explain to the VC dudes why you didn't get them the massive ROI they expected two years down the road.

    The worst thing you can do in any business is advertise a product too soon. Whether you're selling the Osbourne 2 or Team Fortress 2, early hype is "the kiss of death".
    A previous poster commented something to the effect of the mantra I've followed for a while: Ideas are cheap; it's execution that matters. TFA seems to think that Ideas are what matters, and that stealth is all about protecting those. While I agree that stealth is a dumb way to protect ideas, it is a great way to shield your staff from "outside distractions" while they execute that idea. And it's also a great way to control the media -- and there's no business in the world that doesn't benefit from positive media control.