The new crypto debate: Monolithic distribution vs. modular tech
This is a segment from The Breakdown newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.
“Which is the bigger number? Five or one?”
— Robert Baratheon, Game of Thrones
Distribution matters in business. Often more than the thing being distributed.
Google, for example, always had the best algorithms for searching the internet, but the now-ubiquitous service didn’t catch on until Larry Page and Sergey Brin figured out how to get it widely distributed.
As recounted in an Acquired podcast released yesterday, Google’s co-founders bet the company by guaranteeing AOL $100 million it didn’t have in exchange for the right to show ads to AOL’s users.
(Yes, I listen to three-hour Acquired podcasts the first day they…