5 ms·
They became big because of the non-stop PR they keep getting. These companies came up in a fair level playing field in the 90s and early 2000s. The article corr
by electic 9y ago
They became big because of the non-stop PR they keep getting. These companies came up in a fair level playing field in the 90s and early 2000s. The article correctly outlines that. However, it is now a self-fulfilling cycle. They get users, they get more PR, they get more users, they get more PR, they get more users. Repeat. They then use that power to also, in parallel, lobby to crush startups.
The editorial coverage is part of the problem. This very journalist and others like him, share the blame.
- taneq 9y agoYou don't think that them becoming big had something to do with, y'know, their products?
- Clubber 9y agoInitially, yes, then networking effect and shrewd business practices (ensuring barriers to entry) ensure that they stay on top. I mean petroleum to power cars was a great, cheap product when it started as was the incandescent lightbulb. Coal was far more price effective than wood / steam turbines by a long shot. Yet we still use them 100+ years later. Why? Because the people that produce those technologies don't want to go out of business and they do everything their war chests will allow to make sure that won't happen.
- rdlecler1 9y agoMark Zuckerberg having dinner with some Trump supporters got more press than most startups. So no, it's not always about the product.