The Four

their ecosystem. Disruptors that break open new markets are rare—
lottery winners.
In some traditional consumer goods industries, however, the long
tail is growing. Thus, it’s better to work for Google than a niche search
player; but conversely, it’s better to work for a craft brewery than
Miller. The very concentration of tech space into dominant
information platforms (Amazon reviews, Google, Trip Advisor) has
facilitated the identification of breakout nontech products from
unknown makers, and the niche-ification of traditional categories.
Small players can get global reach and instant credibility without the
massive ad budgets and distribution networks that their larger
competitors once used to limit the market. The long tail has new life in
consumer, as discretionary income wants special, not big.