This thoughtful and insightful piece by Shreyas Doshi reaffirmed some of my own hypotheses about how the world works:

The paradox described is endemic in our lives, from an esoteric business situation to global sociopolitical dynamics.

I have a weakness for sports analogies, so it explains why the a wide receiver who runs a 4.4 and gets drafted #1 sells many, many jerseys and has lots of endorsements, while the left tackle who has no holding penalties or sacks allowed doesn’t get the same level of treatment (aside from the occasional movie starring Sandra Bullock).

I’m a weirdo and try to focus the first quarter of a Denver Broncos or Tennessee game (my teams) watching how their offensive line is jiving, communicating, and moving. It sets the tone. Vegas oddsmakers probably do the same thing in taking bets. It’s not sexy, but it is durable, and provides valuable signals, kinda like the fixed income market vs equities.

In terms of esoteric business situation: many products and business have been in competitive markets for years. Sometimes, it feels like 3rd and long, deep in our own territory.

Great product management isn’t just about a roadmap and features (i.e. spread offense running no huddle), it’s also about scalability, uptime, infra (i.e. an offensive line with good footwork AND a middle linebacker who runs sideline to sideline).

Kinda rambling, here, but hopefully that makes sense.