Hardware Renaissance Begins

Will O'Brien believes that hardware is the next frontier for startups, as the low-hanging fruit in software has already been eaten. At 27, he represents a new wave of entrepreneurs focusing on physical technology rather than pure software solutions.

Key Points:

• The software opportunity landscape has fundamentally changed:

  • "The low hanging fruit of software has been eaten"
  • B2B SaaS and similar software categories are saturated
  • "How many more CRMs are there?"
  • Software moats are diminishing: "In a world where you can just vibe code overnight like a CRM or a Calendly competitor... is there really a moat?"

• Hardware companies now dominate the business landscape:

  • "7 out of 10 of the most valuable companies in the world right now have like a hardware component"
  • "The biggest companies being built today are hardware companies"
  • This represents a significant shift from the San Francisco startup scene of 10 years ago

• Technology windows create opportunities:

  • The sharing economy (Airbnb, Uber) dominated around 2012
  • Later came AI and crypto waves
  • Now hardware, AI robotics, and defense-adjacent technologies are opening new possibilities
  • For Will, moving into hardware is "a no-brainer" given these shifts

• His company is developing ocean-based technology:

  • Creating surface vehicles with docking systems for underwater vehicles
  • Making these systems "10 times cheaper than anyone else"
  • Focusing on applications like monitoring and protecting undersea infrastructure
  • Addressing emerging needs like protecting subsea data cables that have been targeted by "foreign actors"