[rrich]

I think it brings up the issue of considering at what time is it better to compete against them rather than join them.

[InclinedPlane]

PA isn't a software company though. "Competing" against PA means having a web comic (or other artistic content) of your own, it doesn't mean doing software somewhere else.

[dllthomas]

You could do software that meets their needs, and offer to sell it to them and others. Not competing with their actual business, but competing with their would-be internal development processes.

[eru]

Either compete or go into a different business. Don't take a bad job.