Orthogonal Attack Strategy

A strategy for competing with established companies by approaching problems from an entirely different angle rather than direct competition.

Core Concept of Orthogonal Attack

• Don't compete head-on with established players
• Look for indirect ways to solve the underlying problem
• Focus on the actual user need rather than the current solution

Key Examples

• PowerPoint vs Dashboard Strategy

  • Instead of making better slides
  • Build automated dashboards that update in real-time
  • Eliminates the need for presentations entirely

• Hotel Industry vs Airbnb

  • Instead of building better hotels
  • Enable people to list their homes
  • Created entirely new inventory model

Successful LinkedIn Competitors

• Industry-Specific Platforms

  • AngelList - Focused on startups ($3-4B company)
  • GitHub - Focused on developers
  • Dribbble/Behance - Focused on designers
  • Upwork - Focused on outsourced labor

• Demographic-Based Platforms

  • Several platforms focused on specific:
    • Gender (Girl Boss, Levo)
    • Race-specific networks
    • Though many have had mixed success

Key Success Factors

• Find unique angle that established player can't easily copy
• Focus on specific user segments or use cases
• Solve the core problem in a fundamentally different way
• Build for specific communities rather than general audience