Read/Write Web Interview with Tim O’Reilly
Listening to: BBC Radio 1
While putting together a Web 2.0 presentation for a client I came across the interview
with Tim O’Reilly done by Richard. Well worth a read.
Richard: Talking a bit more about how Web 2.0 is about services
rather than software… you argue that once a Web 2.0 company reaches a certain level
of users and “the network effect” kicks in - it becomes hard for new entrants to break
into that market. Is there a danger that service levels at the dominant companies
(like EBay and Amazon) will eventually slip and they get away with it, in much the
same way that Microsoft has let the quality of Internet Explorer slip? That is, the
users will persist with the service because it is “good enough”?Tim: Yes I think there’s absolutely truth in that observation.
I think that companies always become complacent, over time. Or most companies, that
is. There are great companies that continue to hold the dominant position for hundreds
of years - think Proctor & Gamble for example - by continuing to innovate. And
I would say that some of these companies will survive and continue to be innovative
companies. Others will struggle.
