I often talk about finding win-wins and avoiding zero-sum thinking, but if there’s one area where a zero-sum game is inescapable, it’s in the race for people’s attention. We each have 24 hours in a day, and almost every minute of that time is already claimed by some app, activity, responsibility or distraction. In today’s digital landscape, one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced with Chessable—and that so many entrepreneurs face—is this intense battle for your users’ attention. Building a great product isn’t enough; we have to find ways to engage users in a world flooded with hyper-addictive apps, platforms, and notifications, all with large, smart teams behind them, working to capture and hold your attention.
This reality really hit me after listening to the Undivided Attention podcast and following the work of the Center for Humane Technology almost a decade ago, and I’ve been applying and sharing their lessons to my personal life, and to building product, ever since. As Tristan Harris explains, we’re living in an “attention economy,” where every platform, app, and content creator is competing for the same finite resource: our users’ time and focus.
Andrew Chen, in his book The Cold Start Problem, explores this concept deeply, emphasising how competition for attention has shifted into a zero-sum game. As he puts it:
We are now in a zero-sum era of attention…there are several million apps all competing for consumer attention, and a new app has to actively take away attention from other hyper-addictive apps that have been optimized over years to engage users.
It’s a powerful statement that underscores the reality we face: we weren’t just competing with other chess or learning apps; we were competing with everything else on a user’s phone, and their lives beyond their phones.
The Solution: Counter-Positioning and Finding a New “Home Screen”
If we accept that attention is finite and that competing in this zero-sum game requires more than just incremental improvements, the question becomes: How can we stand out? There are two strategies I believe are particularly effective, and these are applicable to any startup navigating today’s attention economy.
1. Counter-Positioning with Unexpected Ideas
First, you need to find a “counter-positioned” idea—a concept so fresh and unexpected that it naturally pulls users’ attention away from other, more obvious competitors. For Chessable, our counter-positioning strategy was to offer a product that didn’t just teach chess but did so in a way grounded in cognitive science, with spaced repetition and active recall. While most chess apps focused on game play and tactics, we leaned into a more rigorous learning experience. This wasn’t just about offering a unique feature but about shifting the mindset around chess learning entirely. By approaching chess training with principles usually reserved for memory champions, we carved out a space where users saw real value and results they couldn’t find elsewhere.
2. Finding the “Empty Home Screen”: New Environments for Engagement
The second solution lies in finding spaces where you’re not battling established, hyper-optimised apps for attention. Andrew Chen introduces this with the metaphor of an “empty home screen”—reaching users in new environments where their focus isn’t already monopolised by digital giants. At Chessable, our unique approach and counter-positioning were enough to gain traction and achieve coveted network effects. But as I take on advisory roles with ambitious entrepreneurs (e.g. Chessiverse) and launch my latest venture, Alive Games, this idea has become even more critical.
For Alive Games, right now, we are exploring Web3 as a potential “empty home screen.” In its early stages, Web3 offers an open landscape, less crowded and more receptive to unique ideas. With tools like blockchain-based rewards and NFTs unlocking exclusive content, Web3 allows us to engage users without competing head-on with hyper-addictive mainstream apps. There’s also a huge opportunity here, as Web3 could ultimately become the dominant platform for consuming apps and content, giving early builders a rare advantage.
Beyond Web3, I’m exploring other “empty home screens”—niche spaces where users’ attention is naturally more focused, enabling engagement without constant competition. These environments allow us to meet users where their attention isn’t fragmented across countless apps, opening new avenues to foster genuine, long-lasting engagement.
Moving Forward: How to Thrive in a Zero-Sum Attention World
Navigating today’s attention economy is challenging, but by focusing on counter-positioned ideas and seeking out “empty home screens,” startups can build meaningful, lasting engagement. In a time when attention is among the most valuable and limited resources, standing out requires more than a great product. It demands a product that redefines expectations, connects with users in new, uncluttered spaces, and offers something truly unique. By adhering to these principles, we don’t just capture attention—we retain it, cutting through the endless digital noise to create a genuine connection with users.
PS.- You may have noticed, based on my last two blog posts, I’m currently reading Andrew Chen’s The Cold Start Problem, I can highly recommend it, it really gets your entrepreneurial creative juices flowing.
