Imitability is the rate at which a firm’s underlying resources, capabilities, or core competencies can be duplicated by others. To the extent that a firm’s distinctive competency gives it competitive advantage in the marketplace, competitors will do what they can to learn and imitate that set of skills and capabilities. Competitors’ efforts may range from reverse engineering (which involves taking apart a competitor’s product in order to find out how it works), to hiring employees from the competitor, to outright patent infringement. A core competency can be easily imitated to the extent that it is transparent, transferable, and replicable