#413 – How Cyril Golub chose the ground Amazon can never stand on

A story about picking a fight your biggest competitor cannot win

This episode is for founders who believe the only answer to a bigger player copying them is to build faster.

Most founders fear the day the giant copies them.

It happened to Cyril Golub, CEO of Jinnify — Amazon shipped what they’d built within months. He’d spent twenty years inside e-commerce, long enough to know how marketplaces actually make their money.

So, his answer wasn’t to beat them by building faster.

This inspired me to invite Cyril to my podcast. We explore why the strongest position isn’t the one you defend, but the one your competitor cannot afford to take. Cyril shares what twenty years inside e-commerce taught him about reading a competitor. You’ll discover what he saw in Amazon’s business model that decided how he competes.

We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:

  • Master the art of curiosity
  • Aim to be different, not just better

Both are chapters in The Remarkable Effect.

Cyril’s story proves that remarkable companies don’t out-build the giant. They choose ground the giant cannot take without damaging itself.

Here’s one of Cyril’s quotes that captures how he thinks about growth:

“The company should be ready to change, probably completely change level by level, and the main limiter here is the mindset of the founder and CEO.”

By listening to this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why the real limit on scaling sits in the founder’s head, not the market
  • Why two founders make better decisions than three
  • Why the safest position is one your competitor can’t copy without hurting itself
  • What to study when a platform starts building what you built

For more information about the guest from this week:

Guest: Cyril Golub, Founder and CEO of Jinnify

Website: jinnify.ai

 

Want to dig deeper into the 10 traits of remarkable SaaS companies?

 

Listen to my other podcasts on your preferred platform

The Remarkable SaaS Podcast, listen on Spotify The Remarkable SaaS Podcast, listen on Apple Podcasts
The Remarkable SaaS Podcast, listen on Youtube The Remarkable SaaS Podcast, listen on Amazon Music

About Ton Dobbe

Sales Pitch

Product Positioning Consultant for Sales-Led SaaS Scaleups.
I help CEOs turn their better product into higher win rates and shorter sales cycles.
Author of The Remarkable Effect, host of The Remarkable SaaS podcast.
Unlike other consultants, I tie my fees to your results.