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You simply don't know what you're talking about. Effortlessly, first of all, is false. Secondly, while the hiring of thousands of software engineers over the la
by vonnik 10y ago
You simply don't know what you're talking about. Effortlessly, first of all, is false. Secondly, while the hiring of thousands of software engineers over the last few years was trumpeted, that doesn't mean GM knows how to manage them. That applies, even more strongly, to the acquisition of Cruise that you cited. That happened three months ago, so it isn't clear how much talent will stay for how long. But the fact that they had to buy it meant they decided they couldn't build it themselves in a reasonable amount of time.
- benologist 10y agoEffortless was referring to how quickly they positioned themselves to compete in an emerging landscape with lots of startups - one deal staffed them up. Whether they can manage those people effectively or ship big projects ... is a problem startups face too.
- vonnik 10y agoYes, but my precise point is that startups lure talent and iterate on product better than most large corporations, with enclaves and exceptions in a few large-ish companies, and virtually none any where else. $1B is the monetary expression of a lot of effort, and it's unclear whether they can actually do anything with what they bought. Most mergers and acquisitions are failures.