[afriend4lyfe]

So in hindsight what is being suggested? That Tivo should have established its own content network and then add the dvr to it? That TrialPay should have created Stripe and then added the trial pay feature?

I think I'm misinterpreting this advice because it sounds to me like the chicken and the egg problem.

[lev99]

It's being suggested that Tivo did things correctly (Collected $1.6 billion in patent court) by creating a "boring" product.

If you could go back to 2006, it would be better to create a Stripe then a TrialPay, even if Stripe is boring.

The final takeaway * Boring products can be very disruptive. Innovated products have a hard time finding their market. Find a boring product you can create that adds value directly to consumers. Build your company on that product. Innovation is easier to do after you have customers and cashflow. *

The author admits this is opposite of how investment funds usually work.

These opinions are not necessarily my own, but my own summary of my understanding of the article's point of view.