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Why Are Most Software Products Focused on Sharing

Software products don't cost nearly as much as many traditional products, and as a result companies need a lot of users to buy in, in order to make a profit.

Once users start to share their software with one another, it creates a lock-in, where all future users have less and less need to seek an alternative product, as all of theirs friends and colleges are already using the established brand.

This mean that by focusing on how well a product can be shared, instead of how well it could be architected, increases adoption, and therefore leads to defensibility and profits for their creators.

Transcript

Why is software so bad? ·

Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin

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  1. How Does the Buying Cycle Affect Product InnovationSeth speculates that frequent buying cycle force companies to updates products such that consumers maintain brand-loyalty.
  2. What Is the Biggest Problem With Software Design and Network EffectThe architecture of software is significantly more complex vs.
  3. How Did Software Change Over the Last 40 Years"We began with software being our tool, a tool to help us do our work. But over time, we have become software's tool.

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