Just heard a guy at the coffee shop say Detroit startups are just copying Silicon Valley ideas

Was at that new place on Woodward yesterday grabbing a coffee before a meeting. Overheard two guys at the next table talking about how our local tech scene has 'zero originality' and that every app or service coming out of here is just a ripoff of something from the coast. Made me think about the whole 'Detroit hustle' we keep hearing about. Is that really what's happening, or are they just not seeing the stuff that's actually solving problems specific to the Midwest?

2 comments

2 Comments

samflores9d ago

Yeah that reminds me, I was talking to this guy at a car show last summer who swore up and down that the only reason any tech company exists in Detroit is because of cheap rent. Like he literally said nobody would be here if buildings cost as much as San Francisco. And I'm sitting there thinking, man, have you SEEN some of the logistics stuff coming out of here? There's this whole thing with supply chain software that's REALLY specific to how the auto industry works and nobody on the coast even gets it. But yeah, sure, every app here is just a copy of something else I guess.

claire_davis319d ago

You know, I used to think that way too honestly. But then I actually worked with a supplier here and saw how much of the software is built around the specific way parts move through this region and it completely changed my mind.