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aleph_minus_oneHNSource author
Lessons learnedExperience excerpt · English

> But instead, we get a replacement for Git

> But instead, we get a replacement for Git. [...] Why is nobody solving actual problems anymore? While I personally doubt that for $17M one could build such a vacuum robot prototype (for a vacuum cleaner company, investing this amount of money - if it worked - would be a rounding error), I will rather analyze the point that you raised: It is a very common situation that the workflows of companies is deeply ingrained into some tool - that they can't get rid of (be it Microsoft Excel (in insurance and finance), be it Git (in software development), ...) - that is actually a bad fit for the workflow step (Git and Excel often are) So, this is typical for the kind of problem that companies in sectors in which billions of $/€ are moved do have. I am actually paid to develop some specialized software for some specialized industrial sector that solves a very specific problem. …

Original discussionWe've raised $17M to build what comes after Git755 source comments · at import
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fxtentacleHN

I feel like I really need to learn how to raise money. For $17M, one could probably build a vacuum robot prototype that’ll also clean up all of the kids toys and sort LEGO bricks by colour and size. Parents worldwide would love it. But instead, we get a replacement for Git. And I didn’t even bother to click the link because I’m fine with how Git works. On the list of pain points in my life, “what comes after Git” has roughly the same priority as “try out a more exciting shower gel”. Why is nobody solving actual problems anymore?

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LiftyeeHN

As someone who makes things it always confuses me when millions just disappear whenever a company or government contractor makes things. Give me $17M and I'll build a vacuum robot prototype in under 2 years, I can't imagine 10 engineers getting paid $100+k/year can't do it in less time? Tooling is expensive, but not THAT expensive...

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ninjagooHN

> While I personally doubt that for $17M one could build such a vacuum robot prototype (for a vacuum cleaner company, investing this amount of money - if it worked - would be a rounding error) The first Roomba prototype from iRobot was two weeks and $10k in 1999 [1], and S. C. Johnson's funding was up to $2M [1]. The public estimate for total pre-launch program cost is $3M. [2] In 2026 $, that's about $19k, $4M and $6M respectively. [1] https://nymag.com/vindicated/2016/11/roombas-long-bumpy-path... [2] https://dancingwithroomba.com/funding-tertill/

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conartist6HN

For $17 mil you can't replace Git either. Can't get it done. The problem is that the cost of replacing git isn't measured in money, it's measured in time. It's one of the few programming projects that no amount of money can buy, and ironically getting more money often means having less time. At the same time, you just can't scale up a company then decide to disruptively innovate on your core tech. You either put your nose to the grindstone or you let yourself play and explore but you can't do both at once.

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