Knack for Teachers failure seems indicative of a larger trend in the start-up world, the explosion of doomed-to-fail start-ups founded by mediocre programmers with no understanding of their target market. These founders believe that their subpar efforts will somehow lead to the next airbnb or dropbox, ignoring the careful planning and sheer brilliance at the heart of all great start-up successes.
My fear is that just as interest in ed-tech is waxing, the field will be flooded by these want-a-be founders who fail miserably and then blame their failures on parent, teachers and children. Education is a complex and difficult market that will requires a founder to have deep knowledge of its inner workings. For the technological innovation that is desperately needed in education to be successful, our best hackers must step forwarded and accept the challenge. Nothing else will do.
I worry. However, John Resig's work at Khan Academy gives me hope.
I don't know about blaming this on any larger trend. I think that Jarrod just didn't understand his market. I don't know anything about him, but if this was one of his first companies then blaming failure on his customers is a pretty common thing.
When my first company failed, I blamed my customers. When the second didn't get off the ground, I blamed the technology. And when my third failed, I blamed myself.
You're right. I didn't understand the market. However I'd substitute that I blame myself for not understanding my customers, rather than blaming my customers.
My fear is that just as interest in ed-tech is waxing, the field will be flooded by these want-a-be founders who fail miserably and then blame their failures on parent, teachers and children. Education is a complex and difficult market that will requires a founder to have deep knowledge of its inner workings. For the technological innovation that is desperately needed in education to be successful, our best hackers must step forwarded and accept the challenge. Nothing else will do.
I worry. However, John Resig's work at Khan Academy gives me hope.