5 ms·

His reasoning is unsound. Crippling user experience for some vague, completely unsupported belief that content can't be supported by anything except ads is hug

His reasoning is unsound. Crippling user experience for some vague, completely unsupported belief that content can't be supported by anything except ads is hugely misguided. Maybe content could be 10x valuable (because much of the noise would be eliminated) if micropayments had a chance to take off. Who knows! Let the market figure it out... For Marco to think he can penetrate the mists of the internet economy single handedly is the height of arrogance.

xlm1717 11y ago
It is hugely misguided. Obviously, there is strong demand for ad-blocking. Someone else will move into this space and serve that demand. He didn't make a statement, he made a headache for all the people who downloaded his app, and for Apple who now has to refund all their purchases.
- stouset 11y ago
  There is demand for all sorts of products you personally are capable of building, yet wouldn't for reasons of personal ethics. Should we judge you on your failure to bring these to market? After all, if you don't build it someone else will.
stouset 11y ago
Please. He went from the position of deciding which ads to block for a handful of people to hundreds of thousands literally overnight and decided that was too much responsibility for himself to handle. Whether or not you agree with his reasoning is immaterial. It made him feel uncomfortable to be in this position, so he made the decision to bow out. Marco is not the first person, nor will he be the last, to regret the possible consequences of having built a weapon of war. He's simply in the enviable scenario of being able to destroy the schematics.
- spike021 11y ago
  I thought he was using Ghost's ad lists? I don't think he was making the decisions of which to block at all. He just made the tool that enabled those defined blocks to be made.
  - stouset 11y ago
    That's a fair point. However, by proxying that list to his users, he's still in the position of choosing which ads to block — even if he's delegating that authority to others (in essence, he's choosing who chooses).
    - spike021 11y ago
      True, since he did make some kind of agreement with Ghost (if I recall correctly) basically making a partnership on that end.
arrrg 11y ago
You have just constructed a giant straw man that does not in any way reflect his actual stated reasoning for pulling the app. He is not opposed to ad blocking. He is not opposed to ad blocking apps. He doesn’t think people blocking ads are acting immorally. He doesn’t think overbearing ads aren’t a problem or are definitely needed. Figuring out the actual reason he states for withdrawing the app is left as an exercise to the reader.

xlm1717 11y ago

It is hugely misguided. Obviously, there is strong demand for ad-blocking. Someone else will move into this space and serve that demand. He didn't make a statement, he made a headache for all the people who downloaded his app, and for Apple who now has to refund all their purchases.

stouset 11y ago
There is demand for all sorts of products you personally are capable of building, yet wouldn't for reasons of personal ethics. Should we judge you on your failure to bring these to market? After all, if you don't build it someone else will.

stouset 11y ago

Please. He went from the position of deciding which ads to block for a handful of people to hundreds of thousands literally overnight and decided that was too much responsibility for himself to handle. Whether or not you agree with his reasoning is immaterial. It made him feel uncomfortable to be in this position, so he made the decision to bow out. Marco is not the first person, nor will he be the last, to regret the possible consequences of having built a weapon of war. He's simply in the enviable scenario of being able to destroy the schematics.

spike021 11y ago
I thought he was using Ghost's ad lists? I don't think he was making the decisions of which to block at all. He just made the tool that enabled those defined blocks to be made.
- stouset 11y ago
  That's a fair point. However, by proxying that list to his users, he's still in the position of choosing which ads to block — even if he's delegating that authority to others (in essence, he's choosing who chooses).
  - spike021 11y ago
    True, since he did make some kind of agreement with Ghost (if I recall correctly) basically making a partnership on that end.

arrrg 11y ago

You have just constructed a giant straw man that does not in any way reflect his actual stated reasoning for pulling the app. He is not opposed to ad blocking. He is not opposed to ad blocking apps. He doesn’t think people blocking ads are acting immorally. He doesn’t think overbearing ads aren’t a problem or are definitely needed. Figuring out the actual reason he states for withdrawing the app is left as an exercise to the reader.