What does `The Gambler` Know about Research and Development?
Success in research and development, like poker, relies on a keen sense of risk and reward.
There are a few ways to win in poker.
You get lucky.
Every hand you get dealt is a strong one. Even if you make bad decisions, you end up ahead. So long as you’re not reckless, you win.
This is what it’s like when you’re working on a problem that is in such demand, and with a strategic advantage, that whatever you build is better than whatever was there before. You can’t lose.
You grind.
You make smaller bets that win over time because you constantly make good decisions and smartly adjust to the situation. You’re pick up lots of small pots, and fold when you sense you’re beat.
This is what it’s like when you’re responsive to the customer. You give them what they want, and they appreciate that. So long as you’re judicious in choosing the right bets, and not build features that don’t matter, you’ll win.
You gamble.
You play big pots and hit. You don’t always have the strongest hand, but you play with such force that you win along the way. When you lose, you lose big. When you win, you win big.
This is what it’s like when you obsess about the customer in a way nobody else does. You give them what you think they need instead of what you they say. You don’t always get that right. When you play this way, you have to know that the big win will offset the many losses.
