Article · 6 min read

We Build Muck, So You Don't Have To

Jeff Barr · AWS News Blog Free Beginner

This is where the phrase undifferentiated heavy lifting comes from, and it names exactly the trap you are trying to avoid. The argument is that most of the work involved in standing up an app (hosting, scaling, and the boring reliable parts) adds no value that a customer can see, so you should hand it to someone whose whole job is that layer. It gives you language to justify buying the commodity pieces to a co-founder or investor.

• Work customers cannot see or value is undifferentiated heavy lifting
• Handing that lifting to a specialist provider is a strategy, not a shortcut
• Reserve your engineering for the parts that make your product distinct