Technology is A 12 Pack of Coke
In 2002 Coke released a new design for their 12 packs. My family stopped ripping open the cardboard box and unloading a dozen cans into the fridge. We simply slid the new fridge pack into position and let the design dispense the cokes for us. Simply put, it was the perfect evolution of box technology. Perfect, yet — it was only changing the dimensions of a rectangular box. As stupid as calling a cardboard box technology may sound, it’s the perfect example of how the simplest ideas are often the most valuable.
Engineering Team Size != Tech Quality
Time and time again I hear discussion in the valley about how X company has Y engineers and therefore they’ll be the ones that come up with the solution. Coming up with different dimensions for a cardboard box is a job a single person can achieve. That’s not to say that innovation can’t come from large groups of people. Hell — this innovation is from a HUGE corporation. But the idea that a single individual could not have come up with this new packaging is utterly crazy.
Tech Starts With Choosing The Right Rectangle
No matter what your resources, success in technology begins with the correct focus. The smartest engineering team building the incorrect rectangular packaging simply creates useless packaging more quickly. Likewise, having Steph Curry shoot 3s is useless if he shoots at the wrong basket. The focus and trajectory of a team are of the utmost importance.
Your Focus is Your Idea, Your Idea is what’s defensible
I’ve had many investors ask me if tech my team is building is “defensible.” Meaning — is the underlying structure of our tech so unique that we could patent it. Patenting technology does not require scaling and distributing technology. This requires a big team. Patenting requires simply proving that your tech works, and having a functioning model. As an example, I — by myself — without having engineering skilly, could mock you up a cardboard box right quick. This further illustrates that small teams with simple ideas can fuel the foundations of large defensible technology builds. Again — no matter the resources, without a new idea, your just building something old more quickly.
Big Tech Is Right Under Your Nose
The 12 pack teaches us that simple changes can make substantial impacts on products. These simple changes can be accomplished by anyone — you just have to have the idea and a rudimentary capability to prove out your defensible technology. Ask yourself — is there any reason you couldn’t have come up with this coke packaging? It’s so obvious in retrospect. The biggest ideas are often the simplest. They’re right under your nose. They seem too obvious to be as valuable as they actually are.
