Can I survive if AWS, Google, and Alibaba enter the market?

This question is actually a nagging concern for anyone looking to make a mark in the tech industry. My take is: absolutely, you can survive, and even thrive, but only if you clearly understand your niche.

Let's use an analogy. The big giants are like massive chain supermarkets such as Walmart or Carrefour. They sell everything, have huge shelves, a complete range of products, and low prices. If you try to open an identical large supermarket right next to them, you're essentially committing commercial suicide; you can't compete on capital, supply chain, or brand recognition.

However, you'll find that even with Walmarts all over town, unique small shops in the community still do very well. For example:

Boutique stores specializing in one thing: Some bakeries only bake the best baguettes, while some butcher shops only sell premium Wagyu beef. They don't aim for 'comprehensiveness,' but for 'excellence.' In the IT industry, this means don't try to build a cloud platform that offers everything like AWS. Instead, you could create a cloud storage service specifically for designers, or a database service tailored for game developers. By excelling in a very niche area, the giants often overlook it or aren't bothered to invest R&D resources for such a small market.
Convenience stores offering 'Haidilao-style' service: In large supermarkets, you might struggle to find something even after asking staff for a long time. But the owner of your local corner store not only knows what brand of soda you like but might even temporarily accept a package for you. This is about service and personal touch. Applied to your startup, can you provide 'nanny-level' technical support to your clients? A single call from a client, and you respond immediately, even sending engineers on-site to solve problems. AWS or Google customer service absolutely cannot provide this kind of service. Big companies talk about processes and tickets; you talk about 'the customer is king.'
More agile and faster 'guerrilla forces': Giants are like aircraft carrier battle groups of a regular army – massive in size, powerful in firepower, but cumbersome to turn around. You, on the other hand, are a speedboat, agile and maneuverable. A client makes a request today, you might work overtime tonight, and a new version could be live tomorrow. In a large company, that same request might go through a six-month approval process. This ability to rapidly respond to market changes is a core advantage for small companies.

So, don't try to confront them head-on; that's like hitting a rock with an egg. What you need to do is:

Find the gaps: They eat the meat, you drink the soup. If you make the soup delicious, you can still sell it at a high price.
Provide service: They sell standardized products; you sell personalized solutions and meticulous service.
Compete on speed: In martial arts, speed is king. Rapid iteration, quickly meeting customer needs.

To put it plainly, the giants want 'breadth'; they aim to cover as wide a market as possible. What you need is 'depth' – dig deep enough into a specific point, so deep that they can't reach it, or they deem it unprofitable to deploy resources for your 'point.' When you become a master in your 'point,' you won't just survive; you'll thrive. Eventually, the giants might even come around wanting to acquire you or collaborate with you.