New Technologies Bring Bubbles: Founders Cannot Wait for Maturity, but Investors Can Wait and See

I opened Facebook this morning and found, of all things, crispy fried-chicken NFTs. That prompted two posts. The previous one was about the actual problem you want to solve, rather than chasing trends and borrowing their heat. This post returns to the history of technology. New technologies inevitably attract an early bubble of enthusiasm. Founders cannot wait until the technology and market mature before entering; by then, there will basically be no place left for them. Investors, however, must approach every trend and boom cautiously. Waiting a little longer may be the better choice. Some technologies, such as the radio and internet mentioned in the article, have profoundly affected modern life, conveying value, creating change, and generating enormous business opportunities. But many technologies simply fade when the excitement passes. You may not even find much of a historical record of them.