Startup Technology

thought 18

Working with the latest technology can be really cool. It’s what inspires me to keep pushing forward every day and it’s so exciting to work with. But as a startup, is the latest, greatest tech stack really the best choice?

As much as it breaks my stone cold heart to write this, 90% of the time the answer is no. As technologists, I think we can sometimes trick ourselves into believing otherwise with rash justifications that seem like its for the companies benefit but are actually personal.

But why is that? And what is the right choice?

Unless you have a lot of time and money, you need to remain flexible and move quickly. Normally this means last years tech stack because it’s tried and true. Usually, some other poor sap has already solved the problem/bug/issue you’re inevitably going to run into and you want to leverage that to move quicker than your competition. But I’d like to emphasize normally. Every startup is subjective.

One exception to this rule is when the technology you’re working with lets you move faster than your competitor and there is documentation and support to get you out of the weeds.

The other exception to this rule, which is really the exception to every rule ever, is you have a team that is so talented that the latest technology doesn’t matter because you are the latest tech stack or you’re contributing to it rapidly.

Almost ever single time I’ve tried to use “bleeding edge” or “beta.2” software, it’s taken more time to get the next cool thing working than is old fashion counter part and i’ve regretted the extra time it’s taken; however cool it may have been to learn.

So just a quick recommendation, if you’re a startup and you want to move quickly, just go with a battle proven technology stack and add the cool stuff after you’ve figured out your business model.

stay tuned.
Sterling