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Competition is for Losers with Peter Thiel (How to Start a Startup 2014: 5)

Y Combinator · lecture · Watch on YouTube

Startups & entrepreneurshipTech industry & business models

What it is

Peter Thiel's lecture from the How to Start a Startup course on business strategy and monopoly theory, arguing that competition destroys profits and that startups should aim to build monopolies. It covers the ideas of Zero to One.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN recommends it as a serious, influential talk on market size and monopoly, though some commenters criticize its philosophy as endorsing anti-competitive goals.

  • 5 people recommended it
  • 5 different months
  • 3 strong recommendations
  • first 2017, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “Sounds like its definitely something you should watch.”

    Classic Thiel talk on market size and monopoly.

    yyyuutt, 2020-09 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: How to learn sales?”

  2. “this talk from YC's Startup School 2014 covering the ideas from Zero to One is excellent”

    Excellent talk covering the ideas of Zero to One.

    gmays, 2021-09 · Strong recommendation · in “Peter Thiel became the most feared man in Silicon Valley”

  3. “Peter Thiel discusses this same doom loop and some of your points in this lecture that I highly recommend”

    Thiel discusses the doom loop of competition.

    WhatIsAModel, 2024-04 · Strong recommendation · in “Airlines required to refund passengers for canceled, delayed flights”

  4. “It's a clickbaity title but it's a serious talk.”

    Serious talk despite clickbaity title.

    29athrowaway, 2020-11 · Recommendation · in “Having 170 competitors in not an obstacle”

  5. “watch Peter Thiel's "competition is for losers”

    Relevant to market-hostile businesses.

    narag, 2023-12 · Recommendation · in “Tampermonkey: Dev Mode will become mandatory for running userscripts in Chromium”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: peter thiel, zero to one, competition, monopoly, startup strategy, y combinator

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