This is a crazy story, but I hope it'll be an example to companies of why relying on third-party startups for essential pieces of your functionality is a terrible idea. That's one of the (many)...
This is a crazy story, but I hope it'll be an example to companies of why relying on third-party startups for essential pieces of your functionality is a terrible idea. That's one of the (many) insane trends in web/app development right now, and I think we're going to see it start biting a lot of companies in ways like this.
As a specific example, Reddit is using Sendbird to provide their new chat system. They're planning to completely replace the messaging system with chat eventually, but it's run by a third-party startup. Even ignoring all the privacy implications of that, what if Sendbird gets acquired like Smyte? Reddit could have no messaging system at all for weeks while they scramble to find and integrate a replacement or rebuild a messaging system.
I think it's crazy to tie pieces of your core functionality to external companies like that, especially when those companies are often specifically aiming to be acquired by someone eventually.
That's because these services don't think about the end user or the long-term. Increasingly these products are being designed with the express goal of making as much money as possible in the...
That's because these services don't think about the end user or the long-term. Increasingly these products are being designed with the express goal of making as much money as possible in the shortest timeframe possible. The long-term implications on profitability are even secondary--the people making the decisions (CEO, etc.) have their salaries tied directly to immediate stock price and current growth metrics. They get theirs, and then they leave these products out in the cold to wither. By then it isn't their problem anymore.
This becomes particularly insidious and cruel when the "product" is a social platform like reddit. Real people use platforms like this to connect, learn, grow, etc. It actually hurts these people. :\
On that note, thank you again for being a decent human being and launching Tildes. I hope people come around and realize things don't have to follow the reddit/Facebook/Twitter model. It's possible to use these tools for positive social constructs--people just don't think about it enough yet.
The lack of planning for the long-term has become one of my chief criticisms of capitalism in general. When did it become 'normal' for companies to adopt the business model of starting up...
The lack of planning for the long-term has become one of my chief criticisms of capitalism in general. When did it become 'normal' for companies to adopt the business model of starting up something and then selling it to the highest bidder the instant it gains any traction? At what point did the customers themselves become as offensive and useless to a company as second-hand smoke? This is not the vision of 'capitalism' we were sold.
I am shocked daily at how little people care about privacy / security. I am working on a project for work and I have to contact all of these partners that predate me to move them onto a new...
I am shocked daily at how little people care about privacy / security. I am working on a project for work and I have to contact all of these partners that predate me to move them onto a new system. 89% of them didn't care how they connected as long as they could connect and they needed to make the least amount of changes to their script(s).
I would imagine that this is about to be a huge legal headache for twitter. These customers had contracts with the company they acquired. Shutting down services like that is most likely a...
I would imagine that this is about to be a huge legal headache for twitter. These customers had contracts with the company they acquired. Shutting down services like that is most likely a violation of the contract.
It's very likely the terms of the acquisition did not include existing contracts. There's a myraid of ways an acquisition could be structured such that the acquiring company doesn't inherit...
It's very likely the terms of the acquisition did not include existing contracts. There's a myraid of ways an acquisition could be structured such that the acquiring company doesn't inherit existing contracts.
This is a crazy story, but I hope it'll be an example to companies of why relying on third-party startups for essential pieces of your functionality is a terrible idea. That's one of the (many) insane trends in web/app development right now, and I think we're going to see it start biting a lot of companies in ways like this.
As a specific example, Reddit is using Sendbird to provide their new chat system. They're planning to completely replace the messaging system with chat eventually, but it's run by a third-party startup. Even ignoring all the privacy implications of that, what if Sendbird gets acquired like Smyte? Reddit could have no messaging system at all for weeks while they scramble to find and integrate a replacement or rebuild a messaging system.
I think it's crazy to tie pieces of your core functionality to external companies like that, especially when those companies are often specifically aiming to be acquired by someone eventually.
That's because these services don't think about the end user or the long-term. Increasingly these products are being designed with the express goal of making as much money as possible in the shortest timeframe possible. The long-term implications on profitability are even secondary--the people making the decisions (CEO, etc.) have their salaries tied directly to immediate stock price and current growth metrics. They get theirs, and then they leave these products out in the cold to wither. By then it isn't their problem anymore.
This becomes particularly insidious and cruel when the "product" is a social platform like reddit. Real people use platforms like this to connect, learn, grow, etc. It actually hurts these people. :\
On that note, thank you again for being a decent human being and launching Tildes. I hope people come around and realize things don't have to follow the reddit/Facebook/Twitter model. It's possible to use these tools for positive social constructs--people just don't think about it enough yet.
The lack of planning for the long-term has become one of my chief criticisms of capitalism in general. When did it become 'normal' for companies to adopt the business model of starting up something and then selling it to the highest bidder the instant it gains any traction? At what point did the customers themselves become as offensive and useless to a company as second-hand smoke? This is not the vision of 'capitalism' we were sold.
I am shocked daily at how little people care about privacy / security. I am working on a project for work and I have to contact all of these partners that predate me to move them onto a new system. 89% of them didn't care how they connected as long as they could connect and they needed to make the least amount of changes to their script(s).
I would imagine that this is about to be a huge legal headache for twitter. These customers had contracts with the company they acquired. Shutting down services like that is most likely a violation of the contract.
It's very likely the terms of the acquisition did not include existing contracts. There's a myraid of ways an acquisition could be structured such that the acquiring company doesn't inherit existing contracts.