[hinkley]

I worked at a startup that was trying to do what the Apple Store did for mobile about 4 years before that. They got little traction and ended up selling to a cellphone manufacturer.

The next startup after that, the boss was very excited to have competitors, because without them you are alone in trying to validate that sector. Competition means people are voting with their feet and wallets that you are, if not right, at least not wrong.

It kind of felt like I understood him on a level many of my coworkers did not.

But you're describing kind of the opposite end of the spectrum. When there are too many people, you have no control over the narrative. If you are surrounded by idiots, you get painted with the same brush.

And now that I'm thinking about it, it would even be tenuous for you to buy up your more clue-ful competitors because combining forces may improve your narrative but now it's one voice instead of two. That's a new wrinkle in the post-hype consolidation pattern that I hadn't considered before.