Alain Badiou’s view on capitalism and markets is a critical one. In his “Communist Hypothesis”, Badiou aims at a restatement of communism. He is critical of competition because he believes this leads to uniformity and shallowness. This article contrasts Badiou’s view with that of F.A.v. Hayek. Hayek is not in favour of competition per se, but puts forward a functional argument: Competition is desirable because (among others) it fosters innovation by pioneers as well as the spreading of new ideas. At least on this aspect, Badiou and Hayek could meet in principle.