Obsidian vs. Evernote: Why Bending Spoons’ Acquisition Ambitions Miss the Mark

• Small, independent company ethos.
• Bootstrapped growth model avoiding venture capital.
• Local-first data storage philosophy.
• Highly customizable through plugins.
• Strong community focus with over a million loyal users.

The community's reaction to Bending Spoons' acquisition attempt demonstrates how software tools can transcend their utility to become cultural movements.

Obsidian's users view themselves as defenders of a philosophical approach to software, not just customers of a product.

Obsidian belongs to a distinct category called Tools for Thought (TfT), designed to enhance thinking processes rather than just store information.

This fundamental difference sets it apart from conventional note-taking apps like Evernote, focusing on developing ideas rather than merely organizing them.

While Obsidian's extreme customization capabilities attract power users, this flexibility can be overwhelming.

The platform's complexity represents both its greatest strength and potential weakness, requiring significant user investment to maximize its benefits.

• Avoiding emotional attachment to specific tools.
• Focusing on concepts and workflows instead of software.
• Maintaining flexibility to adapt to better solutions.
• Preventing vendor lock-in and dependency.
• Enabling continuous improvement through experimentation.

The potential merger highlights the importance of cultural alignment in software acquisitions.

The vast differences between Obsidian's community-driven approach and Evernote's corporate structure suggest any combination would face significant challenges.

The landscape of productivity tools continues to evolve, demonstrating why tool-agnostic approaches like ICOR® methodology prove valuable.

This flexibility allows users to adapt and thrive as technology and needs change.

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