My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Microsoft becoming the dominant AI platform through crisis opportunism
Timeframe: 12-24 months for market consolidation
What's Changing
Microsoft moving from AI partner to AI platform owner by acquiring talent during competitor crises
Driving Forces
Existing technology licensing deals
Capital availability
Corporate execution speed
Competitor governance failures
Winners
- Microsoft
- AI talent seeking stability
- Enterprise customers wanting integrated solutions
Losers
- Google search dominance
- Standalone AI companies
- OpenAI's nonprofit mission
How to Position Yourself
Build on Microsoft's AI platform
Partner rather than compete
Focus on specialized use cases Microsoft won't prioritize
Early Signals to Watch
Example Implementation
“Startup builds specialized AI tools on Microsoft's platform rather than trying to compete with foundational models”
Related Knowledge
Board Governance SaaS
Boards make poor decisions due to lack of context, misaligned incentives, and poor communication processes
Solidarity Shift Framework
When a key insider publicly defects from controversial leadership decision, it immediately shifts public perception from
Acquire competitor's entire team and technology during their internal crisis
Acquire the people, technology, and institutional knowledge of competitor without paying acquisition premium
Cannibals Island Test
The ability to thrive in completely hostile environments with no resources or allies - the ultimate test of leadership c
Intelligence as unfair advantage
Don't downplay intelligence when hiring - it's a legitimate competitive advantage like physical attributes in sports
You could parachute him into an Island full of cannibals and he'd be the king
Ultimate test of leadership is thriving in completely hostile environment with no resources