[combatentropy]

> what prevents a bigger player to copy it, improve upon it

Its size can be as much a hindrance as a help. Big companies turn more slowly and are less likely to put out elegant ideas for the same reason a committee is.

Paul Graham writes about how his small online store was able to turn out features faster because he was leaner. I can't find it among his essays (http://paulgraham.com/articles.html) but Getting Real, a small book by the makers of Basecamp, says the same thing (https://basecamp.com/books/getting-real).

[amelius]

> Its size can be as much a hindrance as a help.

Big companies like Google know this, and often seem to structure themselves into small competitive groups.

[paulie_a]

Side note: Google has 4-6 competing messaging applications that are all sub par