# Sun's Business Failures

> Sun's business disinterest cost startups critical support.
- Title: Sun's Business Failures · The Observation Deck | Shortify
- Summary: Sun's business disinterest cost startups critical support. Sun's disinterest in operational mechanics led to failed customer support despite strategic…
- Keywords: sun, open solaris, dell, oxide, fishworks, startup, business failure, technology, startups, Sun's, Business, Failures
- Source: The Observation Deck — https://bcantrill.dtrace.org/2026/09/20/what-sun-got-wrong
- Published: 2026-09-20T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: sun, open solaris, dell, oxide, fishworks, startup, business failure, technology, startups
## Oxide team meets in Emeryville
Oxide's annual OxCon meetup brings the whole team to Emeryville this week for in-person collaboration.
## Sun nostalgia sparks debate
Sun's legacy inspires nostalgia but prompts questions about what Sun did wrong in business practices.
## Sun's business philosophy
Oxide's mission draws from Scott McNealy's epitaph for Sun and his reflection on never hiding newspapers from children.
## Sun's operational failure
A 2005 startup using OpenSolaris faced Sun's disinterest when they couldn't get support despite strategic success.
## Dell's contrast
Dell's Steve handled startup's infrastructure needs within two weeks through direct phone contact and financials.
## Sun's business disinterest
Sun became bored with business mechanics, leading to operational failures despite strategic success.
## Oxide's origin story
The startup that Sun failed to support became Oxide with Steve from Dell after leaving Sun.
## Key takeaway

Sun's disinterest in operational mechanics led to failed customer support despite strategic success.