David and Goliath - Demystifying the Myth

     How often do we see small brands, firms and businesses topple some of the oldest, mightiest and seemingly invincible corporations? That is where we often find the phrase ‘David versus Goliath’ used, quite liberally I daresay. David is the underdog taking on the might of Goliath, the giant and finally defeats him, and this is considered as an incredible feat.

     For those of you who do not know the famous story of David and Goliath, which dates back to the time when Israel was, a united kingdom in the mountains, and the Philistines (now Palestinians) would try to invade it multiple times. One day, the Philistine army gathered for war against Israel. The two armies faced each other on opposite sides of the steep valley of Elah. A mighty Philistine giant – Goliath, over nine feet tall came out each day for forty days, challenging the Israelis to fight, thereby terrifying Saul, the King of Israel, and the whole army.

     Once, David, a young Israeli shepherd volunteered to fight Goliath. King Saul agreed to let him fight. He denied the armour that Saul offered him. Dressed in a simple tunic, carrying a staff, sling and a pouch filled with stones from the valley, David approached Goliath. The giant bellowed at him, asking him if he thought Goliath was a dog, as he approached him with ‘sticks’. He asked him to come nearer and fight him.

     But as Goliath moved in for the kill, David reached into his bag and slung a stone at Goliath's forehead. The shot found a weak spot, and the giant fell to the ground instantly. David then took Goliath's sword and cut his head off. The Philistines ran for their lives, and the Israelis triumphed, all thanks to the ‘underdog’ - David.

Malcolm Gladwell's 'David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants'

   How amazing is it that a teenager like David should triumph over the might of a warrior like Goliath, just with ‘sticks and stones’. However, it is because of, and not despite his orthodox choice of weapon that David is able to slay the giant Goliath.

     In every army, there are three types of warriors – the heavy infantry (armed foot soldiers with armours), the cavalry and artillery, that includes slingers. Slingers are long range shooters who, with a leather pouch with two long chords attached to it, whirl around a rock in a projectile, and hence are a coup de grace to the opposing army. That’s the ‘weapon’ David has. The young shepherd has spent years defending his flock from predators by means of the tiny leather pouch in his hands and that’s where his strength lies.

     Thus, David's sling is an incredibly devastating weapon. When he whirls it around, he is doing so at around 6-7 revolutions per second. The stone that came out from his sling was as fast as a bullet from a .45 mm handgun. So when it hit the giant’s forehead, it was as fatal as a gunshot. The ‘rocks’ found in the valley of Elah are not normal rocks. They are made of barium sulphate, twice the density of normal stones. Slingers, as historical records show, were incredibly accurate, even capable of hitting birds in flight. So when David stands less than two yards from Goliath, he knows what he’s doing, and manages to hit the giant at his most vulnerable spot.

     Also, Goliath might not exactly have been the ‘invincible heavy infantry warrior’ as he is perceived to be. When he challenges the Israelites, he expects to fight another heavy infantry warrior. That’s the reason why he calls David to come nearer. That’s also why Saul hands David the armour, thinking that he would take on Goliath in a hand to hand combat.

     Now here’s David the shepherd with an incredibly devastating weapon standing before Goliath who is weighed down by kilos of heavy armour, ready to fight. Goliath has no chance, does he? Ah, Goliath, who is as misunderstood as David is. There are mentions in the biblical text that he was led into the valley of Elah by an attendant. Weird, right? He is also said to move extremely slowly. Why does he say that David is carrying ‘sticks’? He has only one staff! He calls him nearer to fight. Why?

     These are evidences to believe that Goliath was suffering from acromegaly, a disorder which causes abnormal growth. It is caused by a benign tumour on the pituitary gland, causing overproduction of growth hormones. Many giants have acromegaly, which has a side effect - it causes restrictive sight. Goliath’s height is well above all that of his peers of that era, all thanks to acromegaly. Thus, Goliath, the fearsome warrior, actually can't see!

     Then why do we call David an underdog? This is not a story of an underdog and a mighty person. David has a lot of advantages over Goliath. Goliath needs to be escorted to the valley; he cannot see; he walks slowly! How is he on a better wicket? The cause of his apparent strength was in fact, his greatest weakness.

     Don’t we need to do a better job of looking at what an advantage is? How can we be fooled by mere appearance and size? Well that’s true even in the world of business. Who are underdogs? They are often misunderstood as weak and incapable people, but they have certain traits in them that the so called ‘Goliaths’ of the world can’t see (pun intended). They do not conform to the reality, refuse to be a part of the matrix, and do not need the agreement of others to lead their ideas to execution.

     The story of Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA is one such example. He started making his furniture in Poland in 1961 to save IKEA, and this was when the Cold War was at its peak. It would not have been possible to manufacture in a communist country during such a time had he cared about his reputation. The cliché ‘There is no substitute to hard work’ holds true for underdogs. Who says they would outspend the giants, they might just be able to outwork them. This holds true for start-up companies. Who cares about how deep their pockets run?

     Speaking of deep pockets, one cannot forget one of the highest valued brands today – Coca Cola. The biggest challenge posed to it has been by PepsiCo, and that has been seen at almost every level of their product line, be it cola, orange (Mirinda, Tropicana and Slice from Pepsi and Fanta and Minute Maid from Coke), Lemon-Lime (7 Up from Pepsi and Sprite from Coke), juices, iced tea, energy drinks and what not. There are times where Pepsi has beaten Coke hands down (blind sip test) while coke often triumphs in the can test. PepsiCo has given The Coca-Cola Company a run for its money despite being founded almost a century later, and the gigantism of Coca Cola finally found its match in this ‘underdog’ in the year 1965.

     And now we come to the world’s most valued brand – Apple. 30 years ago, in 1984, this underdog founded in a garage ‘threw a hammer’ at IBM, a giant in the computer industry. This war waged in the Silicon Valley would decide the future of the PC. IBM never saw the opportunity of bringing the computer into the bedroom, which Apple did with the Macintosh, and Steve Jobs’ favourite fruit continues to delight us even today.

     Coming back to 1984, when Apple, over-powered in every sense, could not directly take on Big Blue in its own home. It came up with an ad to portray its competitor’s strength as a weakness. One of the most famous ads ever, it showed that IBM didn’t care about the freedom and creativity that PCs were capable of providing. Although the ad did not do Apple any good, it did show how an underdog could challenge the might of a giant by showing its greatest strength as its greatest weakness. Microsoft and Intel soon overthrew the rule of IBM while Apple was lost in oblivion as Steve Jobs was forced to resign a year later after losing to CEO John Sculley.

     Today, the ‘1984’ advertisement could not have been more ironic, especially with Apple raking in billions of dollars every year. It is no longer an underdog but it has become as confining as the competitors it once fought. And still the ads they show today have something in common with their own famous 1984 advertisement - enlightening us on what is possible with technology. Freedom and creativity continue to be the essence of Apple, and it is, as of today, the Emperor of the brands.

WhatsApp founders Brian Acton and Jan Koum

     And who can forget the Davids of recent times? Be it a Zuckerberg of Facebook or an Acton and Koum of WhatsApp, these supposed ‘underdogs’ have taught us the expanse of possibility and the capability of human beings. Their zeal continues to inspire us to take on the Goliaths of everyday life.

     The story of David and Goliath carries an important message for all of us, and this can often be applied to the world of money too. For start-ups, it is important to note that only if your idea is exceptional will you survive and eventually succeed. Merely conforming to the existing successful business models won’t get you far. And for the existing successful businesses, it is crucial to always look over your shoulder, for there may be a David whirling a rock at your most vulnerable spot. No one should be underestimated or overestimated. For all we know, what seems as a ‘poor choice of a weapon’ can turn out to be incredibly powerful, or what seems as your greatest strength, might just be the cause of your greatest weakness.