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Yes. Execution is far more important than vision.

Ideas are easy to come by. Turning them into something is the hard part - and doing them well is even harder. For too long there was this myth about "first mover advantage" that overwhelmed logic and actual observation.

Amazon wasn't the first mail-order bookstore. They weren't the first online bookstore. However, they're the best online bookstore because they "executed" it best.

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Not only execution but execution in the right direction. Amazon succeeded in part because they picked a target (sheer volume and efficiency) and drove singlemindedly towards it. Ditto companies like WalMart and FedEx.

Other companies have executed as well in orthogonal directions (I'd argue that both GM and Microsoft are marketing companies with vestigal engineering organs) and not done as well long-term.

I suppose that's where the vision comes into play; you have to see the target to aim.

Execution in the right direction needs vision. Original question from TechCrunch is stoo-pid. It's like asking if you want the car with tyres or an engine.

"The early bird catches the worm. But the second mouse gets the cheese!"

More examples of second mouses: Google (search, gmail etc.), flickr, Skype, del.icio.us ...

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