Competition is for Losers

Biological Parallel

Competitive exclusion principle: two species cannot occupy the same niche indefinitely—one will outcompete the other to extinction. Darwin's finches avoided this by radiating into 13 non-overlapping niches (different beak sizes, different seeds). Thiel's insight is Darwinian: perfect competition means you're in someone else's niche. Winners don't compete better; they compete elsewhere. Monopoly isn't market failure; it's successful niche construction.