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by matrix_overload 1061 days ago
This is a very expected outcome if you are creating your business around improving a larger business' product.

You are effectively doing the product/market fit for them, for free. Once they see that your solution works, they will just knock it off, or ban you altogether.

It used to be seen by companies as bad PR/karma a couple of decades ago, but not anymore.
2 comments
notJim 1061 days ago
> You are effectively doing the product/market fit for them, for free

If $600k/mo is what you consider free, I'd absolutely love to do some free work for you!

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ergocoder 1060 days ago
On HN, it is either your product is crap or a room-temperature-superconductor-like.

There is nothing in between. 600k per month? Is that enough to live in SF?

Edit: I forgot the moat. Without moat, it doesn't matter if you make a trillion dollar a month, your product would still be crap.

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CharlesW 1061 days ago
> You are effectively doing the product/market fit for them, for free. Once they see that your solution works, they will just knock it off, or ban you altogether.

Or buy you. https://9to5mac.com/2023/07/01/apple-shortcuts-workflow-mana...

In this case, the TFA notes that Shopify offered the ISV a path forward and Mr. Leteyski chose "go to war" (Option B). He killed the business, not Shopify. He may chalk that up as a "win", but I'd bet his customers and employees don't.

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justinclift 1061 days ago
> Shopify offered the ISV a path forward ...

It sounded more like the "path forward" was to wait 2 years for the new Shopify APIs to come out.

That's not even slightly a credible in-good-faith option. :(

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CharlesW 1061 days ago
> It sounded more like the "path forward" was to wait 2 years for the new Shopify APIs to come out.

So they waited two years and couldn't sign up any new customers during that time. How is that better?

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justinclift 1061 days ago
From the article, it sounds like if they didn't choose the option they did, then they would have had to either close their business or largely cease it:

    "He told me in plain words they don’t want us to continue operating and that they’re locking our API key for new installs as we speak."
That's the "Option A" in the list:

    Option A - Stop what we’re doing, downscale the business and wait for the new APIs.
"downscale" there is a bit confusing, as it's unclear if that really means to comply with the "don't continue operating" desire from the Shopify people. I'm guessing it does, and that they'd look for other business ventures instead, thus not a complete cessation of the business.

So, it seems (to me) like they chose the right option. 2 further years of operating income and growth, though they didn't manage to figure out a working, alternative, income strategy before things went sideways at the end of the 2 years. :/

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