> I don't think I've worked anywhere that's put more than $500M into a single software project. That is "huge" cost.
It's not what they put on the project in one go. It is the accumulated cost of developers, infrastructure and most importantly -- the experience and expertise that has been cultivated over decades. Do you really believe you can get a bunch of developers with limited experience to build something that is comparable to iOS/Android in a couple of years?
> Do you really believe you can get a bunch of developers with limited experience to build something that is comparable to iOS/Android in a couple of years?
I don't, no, but then I wasn't claiming it was possible, especially not for "under a billion dollars".
It's not what they put on the project in one go. It is the accumulated cost of developers, infrastructure and most importantly -- the experience and expertise that has been cultivated over decades. Do you really believe you can get a bunch of developers with limited experience to build something that is comparable to iOS/Android in a couple of years?