Red Ocean vs Blue Ocean

Biological Parallel

Red oceans are mature ecosystems with established predators, prey, and competition—the Serengeti where every niche has claimants and survival means outcompeting rivals for scarce resources. Blue oceans are post-extinction wastelands or newly available habitats where competition hasn't arrived yet—volcanic islands, thawing tundra, or lakes formed by glacial retreat. The transition is inevitable: blue oceans redden as competitors discover and colonize the space. The only sustainable blue ocean strategy is continuous niche construction—constantly creating new adaptive space faster than competitors can fill it.