Friday, December 08, 2006

But where is the money?

I have always admired Indians. They are amazingly entrepreneurial, sharp and opportunistic. They learn and speak English because it sells better. They dance to rock and salsa. They code Java as if it was Darjeeling tea. Ever heard of second mover advantage? India is all about it

But ever heard of stupid copycats? Yes, we are still talking about India. It pains me to see Indian entrepreneurs madly rushing into reproducing consumer internet models. I feel bad for the so-called Web 2.0 clones, because I just don't see a reason for them to exist. The consumer base is small (20MM - 40 MM, depending on who you ask), but most shopping is offline. There just isn't any ecommerce economy yet. Google works because the "tail" is long. India has no tail. The online advertising pie is too small and there are way too many people going for it. Screw advertising... it blows anyway. Lets make a product people want, and make them pay for it.