The First Mover's Disadvantage
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 13 minutes ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 09:30
PETER holds a smartphone in one hand, intently reading an article.
PETER (V.O.): It's shared by the Dean of the HKUST Business School.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.): The piece delves into the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) trend, exploring the business opportunities it presents.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Engrossed in the insights, he contemplates how to capitalize on this telecommunication trend in the context of satellite internet service.
Peter types his response:...I studied Space Law in the 1980s and understood the functions of Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) only...Soon, Peter reads a reply,
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The concept of LEO isn't new? Over 20 years old?
We see Peter conducting research on the first mover of LEO-based business models, focusing on the stories of Teledesic and others then, and Starlink now.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Over 20 years ago, the world felt optimistic and somewhat naive. The lessons from that era remain instructive today.
Act 2
EXT. PUBLIC POOL - 14:00
Peter swims. Slow, steady and forceful laps.
PETER (V.O.): Before coming here, I've accepted a brief.
.
Swimming.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Doing very little has become the pressure point.
Swimming.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): An unoccupied week is no longer a blessing, but a cavity. A question.
Peter climbs up the pool, breathing deeply.
EXT. CASTLE PEAK ROAD - 15:45
Peter watches an estate coach pulling away from the stop in a distance.
PETER (V.O.): I've missed it. Let me window-shop as I wait.
Later, Peter boards the next coach.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's half-empty.
He takes a window seat. And when the coach is about to arrive at Peter's destination, it overtakes the earlier one which is packed with passengers.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I board late but arrive early. It's the simplest proof of the first mover's disadvantage.
We see a faint, private smile on Peter's lips.
EXT/INT. PETER'S NT HOME - 18:15
Carrying his bag, Peter closes the garden gate.
PETER (V.O.): I want to return to my urban home earlier tonight.
He's about to put on his headphones.
PETER (V.O.): Where are my headphones?
Peter touches his head. Not there. He checks his bag.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Not in my bag either.
Peter returns to the house, walking up and down the stairs. Methodically searches. Under cushions, inside guitar bags.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I left them charging. I did unplug it...
15 minutes pass. His calm precision begins to fray.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Absurb. This is absurb. I saw them.
Peter slings his bag over his shoulder.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I give up.
Peter is at the door.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I strategize. I appear in courts. And I'm bested by a pair of headphones.
He goes to adjust his collar. His fingers brush something soft, looped around his neck.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What...
He freezes and looks down. The headphone band is nestled against the blue wool of his sweater. He slowly pulls the headphones off his neck, stares at them at his hands.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The race is the search for a thing already around my neck? My time isn't coming. It's being spent. Minute by absurb minute.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The first mover in my own life is often just my younger self, payiing the tuition of experience for my wiser self to cash in later.
Act 3
INT. LIVING ROOM - 22:15
Peter uploads a photo of his chin and neck with an orange and white over-ear headphones draped over a blue-knitted sweater to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): The first mover's disdvantage isn't about failure; it's about paying the highest tuition for the lesson that everyone else gets to study.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Advantage doesn't go to the one who sees the opportunity first. It goes to the one who sees through it first.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In my own life, I've come to respect the first mover's disadvantage: the clarity that arrives only after I've already committed to the path.
The END
FADE OUT
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