HN Explorer

Ask HN: Did IT matter?

5 points by mrspeaker ↗ HN
In 2003 there was a Harvard Business Review article by Nicholas Carr titled "IT Doesn’t Matter". It argued that companies had greatly overestimated the strategic value of IT, which was providing a diminishing competitive advantage and was becoming just another commodity, like electricity.

At the time it seemed like it was hugely controversial and ruffled a lot of feathers.

Was there any fallout from that article in the industry? To what extent was it correct, and to what extent was it nonsense?

2 comments

[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 14.4 ms ] thread
antocv
The idea is new to me now, but looking back from what Ive seen the last 7-8 years, especially since ycombinator and "startups" becoming hot everywhere, and everyone and their dog starting a startup, the outcome is, candycrush like games for the masses. Easy fun, just look at reddit, it was a place of discussion, now its a place where people take a shit together.

While real problem domains remain unsolved and have diminished in development, such as healthcare.