Ask HN: What are tech's largest moats?
Your company will be expected to have most of these:
* AI Research Lab (FAIR, Brain, MLR, Research)
* ML Framework (PyTorch, TensorFlow, CNTK, Core ML)
* Web Framework (React, Angular, Blazor)
* Browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge)
* Smart Speaker (Nest, HomePod, Echo)
* Smartphone (iPhone, Pixel, Galaxy, Fire Phone, Lumia)
* VC Fund (GV, M12, Apple, Alexa Fund)
* Virtual Assistant (Siri, Alexa, Assistant, Bixsby, Cortana)
* Personal Cloud Storage (iCloud, Drive, OneDrive)
* Typeface (Roboto, San Francisco, Segoe)
* Personal Video Chat (FaceTime, Duo, Skype, Messenger)
* Work Video Chat (Meet, Teams, Chime)
* Personal Chat (iMessage, Hangouts, Skype, Messenger, WhatsApp)
* Chip (Silicon, Tensor, Pluton, Graviton)
* App Store (App Store, Play Store, Microsoft Store)
* IDE (Visual Studio, Android Studio, Xcode, Cloud9, Nuclide)
* Search (Google, Bing)
* True Wireless Earbuds (AirPods, Pixel Buds, Galaxy Buds, Echo Buds, Surface Buds)
* Email (Gmail, Outlook)
* Programming Language (C#, Swift, Go, Hack)
* In-Car Entertainment (CarPlay, Android Auto)
* Design (Human Interface Guidelines, Material, Fluent)
* Maps (Google Maps, Bing Maps, Apple Maps)
* Notebook Hardware (MacBook, Surface, Pixel Book, Galaxy Book)
* Desktop OS (Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, DeX)
* Wearable (Apple Watch, Pixel Watch, Samsung Watch, Halo, Band)
* Health (Apple Health, Google Fit, Samsung Health, HealthVault, Halo)
* Smart TV (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV)
* Office Productivity (Office, Docs, iWork)
* and much more...
Some of these are easy to reproduce, through licensing, partnerships, acquisitions, reverse-engineering, or open source forking. For example, it is possible for small companies to design their own typeface, white-label their brand of true wireless earbuds, or develop a basic chat application.
On the other hand, some are incredibly difficult to reproduce, due to network effect, lack of data, or R&D costs. For example, designing your own chip, developing your own office productivity suite, obtaining movie streaming rights from all major film producers, or building a digital map of all the streets in the world, might only be achievable by a handful of tech giants. As such, these would be considered to be some of tech's largest moats.
What are some of the largest moats in tech? Are there technologies out there that a company with 5 billion dollar and 5 years would struggle to replicate?