Comment by codegeek
5 years ago
Am I missing something ? You interned at a small company and then you built a very similar open source tool which is close to the core product they offer ? Whether the CEO is an asshole or not, I can't think of not agreeing with them here. Your "intentions" don't matter. If your work is very similar to your previous employer's , they have the right to ask you to take it down or come after you.
Yes, you are missing something. As stated numerous times in the article:
> Replit’s core value proposition isn’t letting you run code online (you can do this in dozens of places for free), it’s the features they offer on top of running code. Riju categorically lacked all of these features, including: having a user account, saving your work, sharing your work, publishing webapps, persistent workspaces, discussion forums, integration with GitHub, etc. etc.
> Replit makes a webapp you can use to run code online in different programming languages. This is nothing new (just Google “run python online” for proof), so Replit’s value proposition is extra features like sharing your work, installing third-party packages, and hosting webapps.
The core value proposition of Riju (toy playground for hundres of esoteric languages) != the core value proposition of Replit (feature-rich online IDE environment with lots of integrations and additional support). The only thing they have in common is that you can run code online, and that's not an even close to an original idea by Replit in any way. The CEO making a claim that this project is "copying" Replit has no actual basis given that there are literally dozens of other "copies" out there that are closer to Replit than Riju ever is/was.
I also have no idea how you can argue Riju is "very similar" to Replit, given how generic the technical common ground between them is. I also have no idea how you can argue it's a "tool" and not a toy, the author even explicitly said there was no practical purpose and served as an esoteric quarantine hobby project:
> You might ask: Why did I spend so much time adding obscure programming languages to a webapp nobody was going to use? Well, let me put it this way: Is it the weirdest 2020 hobby you’ve seen? ... Riju is entirely non-commercial. Unlike Replit, I didn’t seek funding from any source—advertising, donations, fundraising, subscriptions, whatever. I have no interest in running a business, and never really wanted Riju to become too popular, since I was the one paying the server bill.
I am not a lawyer so I cannot discuss the details of whether it is exactly the same product or not but there are a lot of similarities (especially considering he interned at the place) which will make any CEO think. I mean IP protection is critical for software companies and whether the CEO is right or wrong here, I think it is unfair to shit on the CEO just because he is being rude/mean.
If you intern at my company and then build a very similar product, I will be concerned.
Wait, so you think that once you work at Pepsi you are never allowed to create your own business selling soft drinks?
I would assume not if you are using very similar formula or ingredients.