The Software Phenomenon
Before I start, I would like to state clearly that I’m an extremely passionate software developer who loves what he does more than anything else in the whole universe. Although I’ve tried to be as neutral as possible, there might be parts of this post where my bias is exhibited. After 6 years of Computer Science education and more than 2 years of tech industry experience, I am a firm believer in the power of Software. There is something magical about it.
What exactly is Software? Here is my take on it. What started as a part of industry responsible for bringing bulky and highly sophisticated machines to life, has now become the central growth engine of the world as we see it today. Its has become a phenomenon that has changed the world completely in a short span of few years.
“Change the world” is probably the most abused phrase in history. Ever since the origin of mankind, inventions that have truly changed the world can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Telephone, Light bulb, Electricity, Internal combustion engine and Internet. What’s so special about these inventions compared to all others in human history? Each one of it proved to be so powerful that humans revisited every single thing invented till that time and redesigned everything to accommodate the new creation which made it more efficient. When you think about it, Software has been doing the exact same thing, and for quite some time now. Still in its spring, it’s turning out to be the biggest invention yet. We are yet to see its full impact.
“In short, software is eating the world.” - Marc Andreessen
With GUI based Operating Systems, Software revolutionized computer hardware back in 1980s. Then came the music players, phones, watches, thermostats, cars, glasses, biotech and what not. What started almost 30 years back is yet to reach its peak. Simple reason being Software is revisiting and redesigning everything ever created by mankind to make it more efficient. Yes, Software is indeed eating the world.
In this process, I see a lot of folks from the other parts of industry having a tough time accepting the importance of Software. I’ve had so many wonderful arguments with friends on this topic. Hardware engineers in industry, artists from Hollywood and music industry, watchmakers, folks from auto industry, doctors and many more. It is tough for them to apprehend that Software is given this kind of prominence in the field which is their own. This transformation is making some people uneasy. It’s totally understandable.
“I think we are a software and a hardware company, but the software does become increasingly important.” - Elon Musk
Truth be told, its the software in any product which makes it powerful, unique and different from all its competitors. Its the power and design of OS X and iOS which makes it unique compared to other desktop and mobile phone manufacturers. Doesn’t mean the hardware that goes inside Apple products is inferior in any way, its certainly not. I love the hardware and design of my Macbook and my iPhone. Similarly, when you think about Tesla first two things that come to mind are 1) The beautiful design of an electric beast 2) Software that runs that car. The fact that an over-the-air update converted all Model S cars on US roads from human-driven cars to autonomous driving cars, goes a long way to show what is it that Tesla does different than other auto makers. Again I don’t wish to demean the hard work of the talented and hard working auto designers at Tesla in any way. It is just that as we are revisiting and redesigning all the human inventions till date, importance of Software is bound to increase by manifold (often at places where we couldn’t imagine earlier). Apple will be talked about more as a Software company than a phone maker or a watchmaker. Tesla will be talked about more as a Software company than an auto maker. Uber will be talked about more as a Software company than a cab service. Airbnb will be talked about more as a Software company than an accommodation service. Many people will have a really tough time to accept this, because this brings a change from the conventional way of doing things at their workplace or home. Its inevitable for any person or any organization to avoid this change. The best strategy is to embrace the change and realize that things can be improved drastically with the help of Software.
Since my high school days, what I love most about Mathematics is the fact that it is this wonderful tool which has enabled people in all sorts of places: Science & Engineering, Sports, Medicine, Astronomy and Banking, to do some really great work. Similarly, Software too is nothing but an amazing universal tool which empowers anybody to implement their ideas with minimal resources. It is the core reason why Apple isn’t Nokia, Tesla isn’t GM or Ford, Netflix isn’t Comcast, Uber isn’t Yellow Cab and Airbnb isn’t Marriott. Most importantly, it is bigger than companies, organizations and people who are part of this phenomenon.
What we are seeing right now is just the beginning of a much larger revolution. The future is long. Remember, we are just getting started!
