Feels like the article is just vibes and zero analysis other than “I really <i>feel</i> like this is true”.<p>Of course butter is nice, and a competitive advantage, but it’s far from obvious that it has the importance the article seems to imply. AWS isn’t butter. Roblox isn’t butter. Photoshop isn’t butter. And what’s Nurx? — I only know Epic, which certainly isn’t butter.
My partner and I were talking about Quip earlier — the online document editor from 2012. It doesn’t matter how little you differentiate yourself from your competitor (Google Docs): if they suck even slightly and you don’t, people will use you instead, and you will win.<p>I guess Quip was a buttery Google Docs.
"Duolingo is Butter for Learning" because it prioritizes gamification and engagement over actual learning outcomes. Being joyful to use doesn't equate to effectiveness.