Surviving Conventional Wisdom

Oxide and Friends · 16 Aug 2022 · 1h 21m · Episode 23

What this episode covers

Bryan Cantrill, Adam Leventhal, and Steve Conrad of Oxide Computer Company debunk conventional wisdom in hardware startups, arguing that dual-sourcing components is often counterproductive compared to building deep partnerships, as seen with their fan provider San Yodenke. They challenge the notion that 'hardware is hard' by asserting that management and hiring are equally difficult, and advocate for 'quad-sourcing' legal advice rather than relying on a single firm. The hosts also reject 'hire fast, fire fast' and 'move fast and break things' in favor of deliberate, high-conviction hiring and balanced velocity, while advising against patents and deep stealth for early-stage companies.

Mentioned

Companies
Oxide Computer Company, San Yodenke, Seagate, Hitachi, Intel, Barefoot, Semtech, Broadcom, AMD, FedEx, UPS, Cisco, Sprint, Airbnb, Uber, Amazon, One Medical
Products
Roomba
Also
Pirate Ship

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