You don't need to build a killer product overnight. You just need to build a winning product, and the goal of winning is so that you can play again.
Video: The Importance of Execution
From Jensen Huang in 2003:
You have to decide as a company, you have to decide as an engineering team or as an innovator, to say, "You know what? I don't need to change the world overnight. I'm going to change the world over the next 50 years. I don't need to build a killer product overnight. I just need to build a winning product."
And the goal of winning is so that you can play again. It's just like pinball. If you could just play well enough to get another game, you can be there for a long time. Most companies just need to realize that in fact this is a long road and that you can't build that perfect product.
So, once you do that, that you keep the project scope confined, you keep the project now simple, you have a long-term vision, your product definition is rather simple, you execute flawlessly on that because your people now can execute flawlessly on a simple plan and you come back and do it again.
Jensen's reflections remind me of two things:
- Don't pay attention to those fastest to 100M ARR in history stories. Focus on learning from great business that endures the test of time. No hurry, no pause.
- Remember, a finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game is for the purpose of continuing the play. Play the infinite game and be educated, not trained.