4 ms·

That is a lot of talent, seemingly in stuff that Facebook doesn't really do. Any ideas on what they're up to over there? I don't know if the world needs anothe

by tbgvi 16y ago

That is a lot of talent, seemingly in stuff that Facebook doesn't really do. Any ideas on what they're up to over there? I don't know if the world needs another browser, but maybe Facebook is working on one?

fauigerzigerk 16y ago
I was thinking "browser" as well when I read this. But Facebook is a social networking company, and what is the greatest social network of them all? The phone network. So my hunch is that they are creating a mobile OS that closely interlinks their own social network and the phone network.
- gustaf 16y ago
  If they are it would probably be a android-fork?
  - stcredzero 16y ago
    How about a ChromeOS fork? A browser-centric tablet OS would be a very nice thing for Facebook to control.
    - joe_the_user 16y ago
      Now if it's ChromeOS fork, one would assume that Facebook wouldn't have absolute control, given that it would be "re-forkable". This might an issue given Facebook's "your data belong to us" attitude (if that's not the current TOS). Perhaps they'll create a similar thing from scratch.
      - uxp 16y ago
        Facebook has released a wide selection of forkable code: http://github.com/facebook http://github.com/facebook
        gcb 16y ago
        give them some credit. Even their users' data is forkable.
treblig 16y ago
It's been almost a year since I heard anything about RockMelt...
josefresco 16y ago
Reminds me of Google 5 years ago. There's a point in a companies life when they're hot and smart people are easily lured in by promises of world-changing work and working with other really smart people. What happens though is they eventually realize that it's just another job and a room full of really smart people isn't always the best recipe to create something that changes the world (and your bank account). Sometimes you need a few great leaders and a team of dedicated "team players" to really pull off something cool. I believe Facebook is entering that phase now where they'll have tons of money to throw at these guys with promises of working on "the next big thing". Expect these guys to leave after 3-4 years for smaller more progressive ventures.
- adrianwaj 16y ago
  Picking up some pre-IPO options in a Facebook would also be a nice reason to become a Facebooker. Google had 2,668 employees in September 2004, just after it IPO'd, and at the beginning of 2010 it had about 20,000. eBay IPO'd in September 1998 with only about 30 employees and revenues of $4.7 million. In 2008 it had about 16,000. Facebook will definitely IPO at some point, its VCs will demand it, and this recruit is perhaps more for IPO marketing than anything else. It now claims to have 1400+ staff. http://investor.google.com/corporate/faq.html#employees http://investor.google.com/corporate/faq.html#employees http://www.swivel.com/workbooks/27740-Google-Number-of-employees-since-founding http://www.swivel.com/workbooks/27740-Google-Number-of-emplo... http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet

by tbgvi 16y ago

fauigerzigerk 16y ago

I was thinking "browser" as well when I read this. But Facebook is a social networking company, and what is the greatest social network of them all? The phone network. So my hunch is that they are creating a mobile OS that closely interlinks their own social network and the phone network.

gustaf 16y ago
If they are it would probably be a android-fork?
- stcredzero 16y ago
  How about a ChromeOS fork? A browser-centric tablet OS would be a very nice thing for Facebook to control.
  - joe_the_user 16y ago
    Now if it's ChromeOS fork, one would assume that Facebook wouldn't have absolute control, given that it would be "re-forkable". This might an issue given Facebook's "your data belong to us" attitude (if that's not the current TOS). Perhaps they'll create a similar thing from scratch.
    - uxp 16y ago
      Facebook has released a wide selection of forkable code: http://github.com/facebook http://github.com/facebook
      - gcb 16y ago
        give them some credit. Even their users' data is forkable.

treblig 16y ago

It's been almost a year since I heard anything about RockMelt...

josefresco 16y ago

Reminds me of Google 5 years ago. There's a point in a companies life when they're hot and smart people are easily lured in by promises of world-changing work and working with other really smart people. What happens though is they eventually realize that it's just another job and a room full of really smart people isn't always the best recipe to create something that changes the world (and your bank account). Sometimes you need a few great leaders and a team of dedicated "team players" to really pull off something cool. I believe Facebook is entering that phase now where they'll have tons of money to throw at these guys with promises of working on "the next big thing". Expect these guys to leave after 3-4 years for smaller more progressive ventures.

adrianwaj 16y ago
Picking up some pre-IPO options in a Facebook would also be a nice reason to become a Facebooker. Google had 2,668 employees in September 2004, just after it IPO'd, and at the beginning of 2010 it had about 20,000. eBay IPO'd in September 1998 with only about 30 employees and revenues of $4.7 million. In 2008 it had about 16,000. Facebook will definitely IPO at some point, its VCs will demand it, and this recruit is perhaps more for IPO marketing than anything else. It now claims to have 1400+ staff. http://investor.google.com/corporate/faq.html#employees http://investor.google.com/corporate/faq.html#employees http://www.swivel.com/workbooks/27740-Google-Number-of-employees-since-founding http://www.swivel.com/workbooks/27740-Google-Number-of-emplo... http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet