Oh the Humanity

The "Apple Way" of product development, while successful for Apple, can be detrimental for startups trying to emulate it. Humane raised a large amount of funding ($230 million) but struggled to deliver a functional product, highlighting the risks of venture capital investment. Venture capitalists often prioritize potential "home runs" over safer bets, leading them to fund ambitious but unproven ideas. Humane's founders' prior experience at Apple was a key factor in securing their large funding round, despite doubts about their actual contributions. The Humane product failed to deliver on its promised features and suffered from major usability issues like poor battery life and overheating. Humane's late pivot to focus on AI was likely a desperate attempt to attract more investment, rather than a core part of their original vision. The passage suggests Humane would have been better off starting with a more modest, iterative product rather than trying to replicate Apple's grand ambitions. Humane's overconfidence and hubris, emulating Apple's marketing style, ultimately backfired and amplified the perception of their failure. The passage contrasts Humane's nostalgia for Apple's past successes with Apple's own ability to continue innovating and shaping the future. The key lesson is that startups should focus on solving real user problems, not just trying to recreate past tech successes, especially under the constraints of venture capital funding.