4 ms·
Foreshadowing of a buyout?
by alaskamiller 19y ago
Foreshadowing of a buyout?
- pchristensen 19y agoI'm curious how big the "offer the Xobnis couldn't refuse" would have to be. They're the YC company I think has the biggest commercial potential because it looks like something businesses would pay for. Many (many) other YCs look like M&A targets for bigger companies.
- alaskamiller 19y agoi actually don't see the ability to go independent on this. it's valuable because of the networking functionality it adds to email, but that's only worth money if EVERYONE adopts it. so what's the best way to push the tipping point? microsoft. and fwiw, i think loopt was the most commercial YC company but they haven't gained much traction.
- pchristensen 19y agoI like loopt too but it seems like a network effect type of product, and I don't trust those until they succeed. Didn't realize that Xobni required everyone to use it for it to work - I thought it just mined your email to construct a network relevant to you.
- alaskamiller 19y agoi believe the social aspect of xobni requires a massive network effect to get the best value. the email searches and threaded conversation style emails are great in itself but those aren't worth much more than shareware pricing.
- brezina 19y agoXobni is valuable in its current state as a powerful standalone email productivity application. Future versions will create more value around networks of Xobni users.
- pg 19y agoLoopt has a lot of users, actually.
- projectileboy 19y agoSadly, here's another possible trajectory - (1) MS "partners" with Xobni; (2) Xobni busts a hump for two more years getting some corporate adoption; (3) MS introduces "MS-obni", an inferior yet similar product; (4) corporate IT departments everywhere dump third-party Xobni for MS version; (5) Xobni dies a bitter and lonely death. I don't mean to be a downer, but if I was a Xobni guy, this would keep me awake at night.
- mixmax 19y agoLarge corporations always try to buy you before they try to bake their own. The risk is smaller. I wouldn't start worrying until I said no to an offer from Microsoft.
- projectileboy 19y agoWell... There are a lot of third-party software houses that crashed and burned in the '90s and '00s whose stories look exactly like what I outlined. And MS didn't always offer a bag of cash before opening fire.
- deleted 19y ago[deleted]
- anewaccountname 19y agoI think you are blatantly ignoring the entire history of Microsoft.
- neilc 19y agoYeah, exactly. Although the recent Yahoo temporary insanity might suggest that MS is taking a new approach to competing in the web market.
- aston 19y agoDo you have any evidence? Microsoft buys tons of companies, including those competing with internal products. LookOut is a great example, and one that's relevant given the current discussion of Outlook plugins.