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Yeah, Homejoy's demise took everyone by surprise. Unless the company is public, it's almost impossible for a casual observer to tell how healthy it is.

mbesto 11y ago
The only reason it took everyone by surprise is because tech media (including YC) hailed it as being the "next big thing".
7Figures2Commas 11y ago
> Yeah, Homejoy's demise took everyone by surprise. No, it didn't. Some of my previous comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8468863 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8468863 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6856221 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6856221 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8489834 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8489834 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8709632 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8709632 Homejoy won't be the last company of this type to collapse.
JonoBB 11y ago
No it didn't. My first question when I heard of them is how they prevent cleaners from ever using the platform again. This seems to be the single biggest long term stumbling block, that they never really got close to solving. http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/31/why-homejoy-failed-and-the-future-of-the-on-demand-economy/ http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/31/why-homejoy-failed-and-the-... Aside: I saw Adora at the London StartUp school hosted by YC. She really didn't come off that convincing to me. Then she said something really, really strange - "You don't fail until you give up", and I wondered why someone would say something like that.
- yeukhon 11y ago
  I don't get what's the issue with that statement. Until you give up on the idea, you didn't fail. What other interpretation do you have in mind? It's one of those cliche way of saying failing is just the beginning of success. The thing that convinces me is her determination. She worked as cleaner before starting the business, and understood some of the pain. She probably overlooked at the issue and probably overconfident like the article cited, but someone who was willing to cover cleaner to apologize for cancellation on Thanksgiving? That's very good for her (but unable to prioritize some critical negativity in the algorithm? that's just sad). Without knowing the full story (we are just hearing fragments from allegedly ex-Homejoy employees), I think the business model is not profitable. Maybe doing cheap is really hard, and doing fancy and professional is the only way out.
mikeryan 11y ago
Anyone who followed Exec can't have been surprised by Homejoy's demise.

mbesto 11y ago

The only reason it took everyone by surprise is because tech media (including YC) hailed it as being the "next big thing".

7Figures2Commas 11y ago

> Yeah, Homejoy's demise took everyone by surprise. No, it didn't. Some of my previous comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8468863 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8468863 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6856221 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6856221 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8489834 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8489834 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8709632 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8709632 Homejoy won't be the last company of this type to collapse.

JonoBB 11y ago

No it didn't. My first question when I heard of them is how they prevent cleaners from ever using the platform again. This seems to be the single biggest long term stumbling block, that they never really got close to solving. http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/31/why-homejoy-failed-and-the-future-of-the-on-demand-economy/ http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/31/why-homejoy-failed-and-the-... Aside: I saw Adora at the London StartUp school hosted by YC. She really didn't come off that convincing to me. Then she said something really, really strange - "You don't fail until you give up", and I wondered why someone would say something like that.

yeukhon 11y ago
I don't get what's the issue with that statement. Until you give up on the idea, you didn't fail. What other interpretation do you have in mind? It's one of those cliche way of saying failing is just the beginning of success. The thing that convinces me is her determination. She worked as cleaner before starting the business, and understood some of the pain. She probably overlooked at the issue and probably overconfident like the article cited, but someone who was willing to cover cleaner to apologize for cancellation on Thanksgiving? That's very good for her (but unable to prioritize some critical negativity in the algorithm? that's just sad). Without knowing the full story (we are just hearing fragments from allegedly ex-Homejoy employees), I think the business model is not profitable. Maybe doing cheap is really hard, and doing fancy and professional is the only way out.

mikeryan 11y ago

Anyone who followed Exec can't have been surprised by Homejoy's demise.