RailsConf 09: Robert Martin, "What Killed Smalltalk Could K
O'Reilly
Why leaders watch it
Draws lessons on why a technically strong platform died, citing arrogance and community behavior, relevant to product and ecosystem strategy.
Robert Martin's RailsConf 2009 talk looks at why Smalltalk lost out despite its technical strengths. He draws lessons about language communities and arrogance that he argues could hurt Ruby too.
Takeaways
- Community attitude can kill a technology
- Arrogance alienates adopters
- Technical merit isn't enough
Topics: Culture & values, Strategy & competitive advantage
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