The group is very substantial this time around. Developing things like a database optimized for solid-state drives involves non-trivial technology. I'm impressed.
I wonder what kind of background these guys had to convince YCombinator that they could pull it off? Many of them aimed quite a bit higher than yet another web app.
It certainly depends on who's listening. The catch-22 is the Dunning and Kruger effect. If a person sounds like they know what they're talking about, it's either because (1) they know what they're talking about or (2) you're an idiot. But there's a range of ignorance in which the more confident you are in (1), the more likely (2) is.
It's great to see a technology-based startup like RethinkDB. It is a wonderful opportunity they are targeting, and their marketing looks great. I can see them getting bought out for $100 millions by Oracle etc.
It sounds like a sustaining technology because it sells into existing infrastructure; but because the initial uses of SSD are in devices like iPhones (rather than data centers), that might make it disruptive.
But I agree that actually solving this problem is the difficult part! OTOH, all they need do is achieve some of the potential benefits in a product that actually works, to be wildly successful. Oh, and be the first. One problem is that everyone else is aware of this opportunity, so it comes down to execution... One advantage they have over Oracle and so on is they don't have to worry about existing customers.
I wonder what kind of background these guys had to convince YCombinator that they could pull it off? Many of them aimed quite a bit higher than yet another web app.