Why Did Linear Compete on Quality Instead of Speed?

Karri Saarinen says Linear competed on quality instead of speed because a faster product would not win a slow market. Many people had already tried to make a new product in this category and failed. He wanted a place where Linear could win on its merits, by being better and clearly different, not just by moving fast.

He does not like competing in every race. He chooses the games he plays and tries to win by his own rules. Soleio called that choice a first of its kind: a viewpoint declared up front, competing on quality rather than growth tactics, and refusing to move fast and break things. Linear was profitable from early on, which gave him room to compete on his own terms.

He is surprised it worked, because not everyone thinks this way. He wants a company he can be proud of, not only a successful one. Being a founder, in his view, is the freedom to choose what kind of company to build, and his way will not fit every personality. He will not do illegal or morally questionable things just to win.