Roelof Botha claims "cost is the secret of Silicon Valley." While product innovation gets the attention, relentless cost reduction is the bigger driver of success. It democratizes technology and provides a true competitive advantage, unlike simply lowering prices.

Synthesia initially targeted Hollywood with AI dubbing—a "vitamin" for experts. They found a much larger, "house-on-fire" problem by building a platform for the billions of people who couldn't create video at all, democratizing the medium instead of just improving it for existing professionals.

While his competitors relied on artisanal tradition, Sax used the science of acoustics to calculate the precise placement of instrument holes. This scientific, data-driven approach resulted in superior tuning and harmony, giving him a key competitive advantage in the 19th-century market.

Sax designed entire "families" of instruments like saxophones and sax horns at different pitches. This allowed him to offer a complete, harmonious solution to replace entire sections of military bands, creating a stronger competitive moat than a single, standalone product ever could.

The saxophone's association with jazz and Black American culture led to it being banned by the Nazis, the Soviet Union, and the Vatican. This "forbidden" status did not diminish its power; instead, the controversy cemented its cultural identity as a symbol of revolution and counter-culture.

Ryan Holiday's book "The Obstacle is the Way" sold only 3,000 copies in its first week and didn't hit a bestseller list for five years. It grew through niche adoption (e.g., the New England Patriots) and consistent word-of-mouth, selling more copies each year for a decade, proving that impactful products can build momentum slowly.

Adolf Sax created the saxophone for military bands, but it was Black American jazz musicians who defined its cultural identity. They transformed it into a symbol of revolution, sensuality, and artistic expression—a legacy far removed from its inventor's original intent.

Highly technical tools like Cursor can attract non-technical users if they are supported by a large community and extensive tutorials. This ecosystem provides the necessary documentation and peer support that bridges the knowledge gap, making complex products more accessible and defensible.

Sax identified the French military's need for louder band instruments to compete with rivals. He designed the saxophone for this specific use case and won a lucrative, business-defining contract through a public "Battle of the Bands" competition, effectively creating his own market.