Ask HN: How will a hardware company survive in 2023?

2 pointszciwor2y ago2 comments

This tweet had me wondering[1], what is the goldilocks model for a lightly funded or bootstrapped hardware company in 2023?

I'm thinking about purpose built gadgets such as smart home tech, fitness accessories, etc.

The early 2010's model: 1. Get funded 2. Acquire users & scale 3. Support this hardware with companion software 4. Exit before server costs outweigh your hardware margin

This does not seem feasible in today's climate, however users still expect free software.

It seems like most hard-tech is coming from large companies with compute to spare or Chinese manufacturers with no consideration of software quality/security.

What is the long term and sustainable way to operate an indie(ish) hardware company?

[1]:https://twitter.com/HipCityReg/status/1707414839608463760/photo/1

2 comments

ksec2y ago

>What is the long term and sustainable way to operate an indie(ish) hardware company?

The reality is that unless you have a specific niche. Most wont made it or will be acquired by Big Tech. It is much easier to earn money in "Bits" and then invest into "Atoms" than the other way around.

I honest dont believe what the thread say will happen. About iPhone being broken down into separate pieces ( bundling and unbundling ). Unbundling will happen, but likely not in the way it was described in the tweet.

alrs2y ago

Hasn't "most won't make it or will be acquired by big tech" been the story for the last 50 years?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse