> In Zero to One, Thiel argued that competition is for losers and that the goal of a startup is to create a monopoly.
Way to not understand what Thiel meant.
Way to not understand what Thiel meant.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/peter-thiel-competition-is-for-...
https://www.csun.edu/~vcact00f/497CapStone/Peter%20Thiel_%20...
The title is “Competition is for losers” and the sub-head is “If you want to create and capture lasting value, look to build a monopoly, writes Peter Thiel”.
There's a talk somewhere ont the internet where he explains that you don't want to build a do-it-all product, at least not right away. Don't compete with everyone for everything. Find a more niche market where you can have a monopoly, get comfortable, then you branch out, diversity, and tackle broader markets.
That's certainly a reasonable business strategy. But what is good for a business is not necessarily good for the country, which is exactly why anti-monopoly laws exist.
And to your point: we have banana republics for a reason.
The book indoctrinates founders to act aligned with VCs best interests, not necessarily the company/employees/customers ones.