Build vs Buy Decisions
The hidden costs that make build-vs-buy harder than it looks.
Every build-vs-buy decision looks obvious in retrospect. But when you’re making it, the costs are hidden.
Building is always more expensive than you think. You’re not just building the feature. You’re building the maintenance, the support, the compliance, the scale. That “2-week feature” becomes a 2-year commitment.
Buying means accepting their roadmap. That vendor’s priorities aren’t your priorities. You’ll wait 6 months for a feature that would take you 2 weeks to build. But you won’t be maintaining it.
The real question: is this a competitive advantage? If yes, build. If no, buy. Everything else is rationalization.
[Placeholder for framework, examples, and specific decision criteria]