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- Thinking of a business idea? - Steal DON'T Copy
Thinking of a business idea? - Steal DON'T Copy
Iniobong Uyah & Alex Christidis
April 08, 2024
Presented by
Pablo Picasso - The art of the steal
The name Picasso doesn’t need much introduction. Although you may not know Picasso’s artworks, you may be familiar with one of his quotes; good artists copy, great artists steal. Picasso may not have known how far his words would go, or how much influence they would have across industries, but he certainly wasn’t talking about stealing in the usual sense of the word.
Good Artists copy; Great Artists Steal
As an artist, Picasso must have understood that original ideas are rare and hard to come by. Which means he had to look for inspirations outside his own imagination. Now, where would an artist turn to for inspiration? The obvious answer is the works of other artists. Picasso’s experience is not subjective, nor is it limited to the art world only. Entrepreneurs who have tried to come up with business ideas know just how hard it is to get an original idea. Some individuals occasionally stumble on an original idea, these are the exceptions and we don’t see them all the time. The majority of entrepreneurs have to settle for an authentic idea.
Let me explain !!!
When Picasso talked about stealing, what he meant was taking a key idea from another artist’s work, modifying some aspects of it, and then personalizing it. This is different from copying which is mimicking, replicating, or creating an exact version of another artist’s work.
Applying this concept in business, entrepreneurs can always find inspiration for a business idea by looking at the competition or other players in their industry. Then think of ways to improve on the original idea such that though the ideas are similar at the core, the overall appearance and or process is unique or authentic. You may be thinking to yourself, isn’t this illegal? No. Businesses protect themselves with patent laws. However, this only prevents the invention, product, or process from being used or replicated by a competitor. But that does not mean the core idea can not be harnessed differently.
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Here is a short story of how Apple and Microsoft both stole the idea for the Mac and Windows from Xerox.
In the early ’80s Steve Jobs needed help from Bill Gates: Apple was developing its first Macintosh. Microsoft, which had supplied IBM with the MS-DOS operating system for its PCs, was invited to be the Mac’s first software developer. Early Mac developer Andy Hertzfeld says that when Jobs recruited Microsoft he feared it “might try to copy our ideas into a PC. Steve made Microsoft promise not to ship any software that used a mouse – until at least one year after the first shipment of the Macintosh”.
In 1983, Microsoft sprang a surprise with a new operating system for PCs using an interface like the Mac’s – Windows. Jobs “went ballistic”, demanding an explanation and saying: “I want him in this room by tomorrow afternoon, or else.”
Gates arrived alone to find himself surrounded by 10 Apple employees. “You’re ripping us off,” Jobs shouted.
But Gates looked him in the eye, and said in his squeaky voice, “Well, Steve, I think there’s more than one way of looking at it. I think it’s more like we both had this rich neighbour named Xerox and I broke into his house to steal the TV set and found out that you had already stolen it.”
If that story doesn’t drive home the point, here is Steve Job quoting Pablo Picasso while admitting to stealing ideas and doing so shamelessly.
Picasso had a saying -- 'good artists copy; great artists steal' -- and we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.
Seek authenticity and not originality
In essence, you don’t have to figure out everything by yourself. This will be a waste of time. Imagine going to school and having to figure out the laws of physics, mathematics, chemistry, etc. Impossible, right? But that is exactly what you do each time you spend trying to come out with an original idea. Again, you may stumble upon an original idea if you are lucky, but for the most part, you will move faster if you can learn how to build on what others have already figured out, and make it authentic. Picasso, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates are not the only successful people who understood this. Here are other renowned people who mastered this principle.
If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants
The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources
I’m a thief and am not ashamed. I steal from the best wherever it happens to be
Immature poets imitate, mature poets steal
If you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism and if you steal from many, it’s research
That’s all for now folks.
Until next time, stay inspired and keep chasing your dreams!
Cheers,
Alex