ideas Vs Execution
Indeed Excecution of Ideas is "PRIME" Factor from ages like all civilizations the "Heros" are not the thinkers but "Action" oriented folks be it Rulers/Sculptors/Film Stars in recent years etc.

This POINT missed by MOST : Idea is like "word" - powerful when written,more powerful when understood and Most powerful when Lived.That is why we have proverb "WALK YOUR TALK" perhaps

NDA's and great ideas
While I agree that a great idea is not worth much without execution, I have to say that the reason for the NDA has little to do with how great the idea is. Rather, I submit that people ask for NDA's because they are worried about others executing on their ideas before they do. Admittedly, this might be said to imply that the idea "pilferer" was better at execution than the originator. Howevever, it might also be that the originator was just putting his plan together and wanted to get it right, but just took too long in the planning stage, while the other guy just went for it without much of a plan.

In my opinion, there is a factor missing from the equation of your model - the timing factor. It's inaccurate to state that the worth of an idea is based soley on the excellence of the idea times the excellence of the execution. You also need to divide by the number of people already in the market when you entered:

Idea * Execution / Market Saturation Factor

People who ask for NDA's do it to keep the market saturation factor low.

NDA's and great ideas
Doesn't Derek's "multiplier" take market saturation into account. For instance, wouldn't a weak idea take into account uniqueness and # of competitors?

I've tried to play this out in the real world using Apple's iPod as an example. The iPod wasn't the first, Apple did not create a new category, they didn't invent or own mp3 technology, etc. The selection of Derek's multiplier in this example seems to be dictated by all of these elements (and probably more), including market saturation.

Thoughts?

cd baby
Hey Derek-my name is Janet. I would like to start a music career with CD Baby. But I need to know the steps/process required to mail you my demo tape and get started. What I basically wanna know is how do you start in the music business? Should someone interested in your label come to Portland to audition? I live in Dallas, Texas. Or do you know of any local record labels in the Dallas area? I think you should write an article answering these questions on the cd baby website. There are many artists out there who would like to know. I used to live in Seattle and that's how I heard about your label. But now I live in Dallas. And in Dallas, they only have like, country labels. So write a short article. It will help many. Plus I'm only 16 so I need help getting started. Thanks-Janet

Yes, execution is important. Ideas are still important because without them there is no execution to begin with. Ideas set the wheel in motion, with execution the rubber meets the road.

I came to this site linking from somone who used your little brainwave above to make a case for why we don't need to protect ideas, because supposedly it's execution that matters so we should freely sprinkle our thinking around, which is the most bollocks-for-brains things I have read recently.

We protect ideas precisely because someone else may execute them faster than us--due to our limited resources, not necessarily incompetence or complacency--so that we could have at least a bit of a headstart.

Hey ..love the new site!!! Keep up the good work. I'll send you text sometime. If you're home at any time we'll have to meet up for a pint in the Crown again. Have a good one

Ideas and execution
Most good ideas are also simple. It often takes a great deal of time,money and insight to arrive at an idea or concept based on the idea. Trial and error is an expensive teacher. It takes its toll on the innovator, often making him or her least able to implement further. After all the work involved, it's only natural to try to protect the idea or concept. A NDA is a small price to pay although it's really a useless piece of paper. When one knows something new it becomes part of your thinking process and would be difficult to talk around, especially if you're in a position of answering questions.

Ideas a lifeless brilliance

How about the following:

PRODUCT = IDEA * EXECUTION
NO IDEA = 0
-> PRODUCT = 0

Think about it!!!

This is so naive... I know people who stole ideas without any hesitation. I work for VC and from my point of view it should look more like this:

Bad idea = 0
Good idea = 10 - 1,000,000
Great idea = 10 - 10,000,000
Brilliant idea = 10 - ...
Stolen idea = 0

It's all about potential behind the idea. So... my advice: ask for NDA, it wont hurt you and it can save you from being robbed.

Um, that's why Yahoo said no to Google's PageRank invention - to them, the idea was nothing. So they didn't really want to hear it, and now they're hanging on by a thread.

Call it "the execution of Yahoo"

Wish I knew this a cpl of years ago.I saw my own terrific idea(well according to me) rejected just because the superiors didnt get a "hands on" feel.
I also vouch for the fact that implementing an idea as a pilot and then taking to the higher ups is almost always a sure shot method than just making ppts
Anyway,a very good article

I agree that execution matter much more than idea alone (though the multiplication theory looks over-simplification of the fact). Best example is Facebook - Mark Zuckerberg, its founder was accused of stealing this social networking idea from fellow Harvard students (creators of ConnectU.com) but how of us today know about ConnectU in comparison to Facebook? :)

I have recently written about Patents (a related topic to protect ideas), do have a look - Are software patents evil?