The Big Idea

At Level 10, the biggest threat to your company isn’t technical instability—it’s irrelevance. The job now is to protect your company’s place in the market by shaping the narrative, setting standards, and defending your technical position.

You’re not just building defensible IP. You’re defining what “good” looks like in your category. And if you don’t, someone else will—likely a competitor who moves faster and speaks louder.

You Know You’re Struggling When

Competitors are defining the category in ways that don’t align with your strengths.
You’re still talking about features while others talk about outcomes and standards.
Analysts, partners, or the press don’t include you in the big conversations.
Your engineers are shipping fast but don’t know why what they’re building matters at a market level.
The company is playing defense—but not from a position of strength.

If you’re not guiding the conversation, you’re just reacting to it.

Ideal State

You’ve helped the company claim—and defend—a clear position in its space. Your architecture, product strategy, and external communications reinforce that position.

You help define industry standards, not just follow them. Analysts quote you. Competitors are forced to respond to you. And your internal teams build with clarity because they know exactly what you’re trying to be the best at.

You’re not just protecting your IP. You’re protecting your company’s right to lead.

Closing the Gap

Define your category thesis. What does your company believe the future should look like? How do your tech bets support that?
Speak up publicly. Write, talk, teach. Set the tone in your market—even if no one invites you at first.
Codify your advantage. Don’t just know what makes your system special—make sure your competitors can’t easily copy it.
Align the team. Make sure everyone—especially engineers—understands how the architecture and product reinforce your position.
Build outside the product. Standards, open APIs, developer ecosystems—this is where influence multiplies.