Yes. High level ideas that people pitch are in themselves are not novel. The idea to come up with a cure to cancer is not novel. The idea to come up with a kickass search engine is also not novel.
It is execution that matters. The details matter. The subtle insights matter. And, I believe that is what you are trying to say here. Google may not have been the first search engine but their technology was faster and the user experience was better than their counterparts. This execution is what I'm saying should be highlighted in pitches as a way to differentiate one's business -- not the high level ideas.
A cure for cancer that actually works is novel. Execution is not all that matters, you need to have both a good idea and execute on it. There are many more good teams that can execute than there are really great ideas.
It is execution that matters. The details matter. The subtle insights matter. And, I believe that is what you are trying to say here. Google may not have been the first search engine but their technology was faster and the user experience was better than their counterparts. This execution is what I'm saying should be highlighted in pitches as a way to differentiate one's business -- not the high level ideas.