Concept · Silicon Valley / Startup Dogma
Be So Good They Can't Ignore You
Origin: Cal Newport, but also startup ethos
Biological Parallel
Male bower birds spend months building elaborate structures decorated with blue objects—bottle caps, feathers, flowers—arranged by color gradient. Females inspect dozens of bowers before mating. There's no shortcut: quality of construction is an honest signal of genetic fitness because only healthy males can invest that much time perfecting details. Craftsmanship is costly, which is precisely why it's credible.