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Inevitably, someone will make a comment about how Dropbox is overstaffed and could do this with ~10 employees since 'they just sync files'. To save you the trou

by awad 9y ago

Inevitably, someone will make a comment about how Dropbox is overstaffed and could do this with ~10 employees since 'they just sync files'. To save you the trouble, consider that they also need to hire support, sales, marketing, and operations staff beyond the engineers and designers it takes to keep the product(s) running, especially as they shift into an enterprise-focused business.

tedmiston 9y ago
While we do hear this a lot — "rsync has been around for 20 years" "I could write that in a weekend" etc etc — it's easy to forget about all the work Dropbox is doing on top of their file system, like building Paper as a competitor to Google Docs.
- awad 9y ago
  I agree -- and that's simply their 'big bets' if we give them credit for trying to do other things. The reality is EVEN their core business which, if we simplify to 'rsync that just works for people who have no idea what a terminal is', actually does require substantial overhead at their scale. In other words, while I appreciate that it's nice to fantasize about the single hacker making $$$ off a side project they built over a weekend, reality is far more nuanced. There exists these people, to be sure, but they are far and few between. Most of the time, big companies valued in the billions of dollars actually do need headcount to help keep that business running.
dx034 9y ago
I just wonder why all of them have to be in the most expensive part of the US. Tech talent might be more accessible in SF but support staff and marketing shouldn't be. Having offices in a cheaper location would not only save the company money but also be potentially nicer for employees. It would probably cut most people's commute time and increase cost-adjusted salaries.
- codecamper 9y ago
  Isn't that the part that is built on landfill & so the buildings will simply sink into the earth during the big one?
  - vnchr 9y ago
    So you're saying Dropbox is going to drop...into the ocean?
    - e40 9y ago
      No, the landfilled earth will turn into a liquid, briefly, during a big earthquake and the buildings will sink into them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_liquefaction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_liquefaction
      - vnchr 9y ago
        So it’s going to sync?
gxs 9y ago
Shake my head every time I see this as well. The amount of work that goes into creating and selling a brand, running the actual business (selling, implementing, supporting), on top G&A, is way more than people realize. On top of that, the amount of work that goes into raising money, preparing for IPO, etc. is also quite a lot. That's before you get into building the actual product, developing the roadmap, working with product marketing, R&D, etc. I run this issue especially when building software for parts of the business that aren't product - engineers are so condescending it's remarkable.

by awad 9y ago

tedmiston 9y ago

While we do hear this a lot — "rsync has been around for 20 years" "I could write that in a weekend" etc etc — it's easy to forget about all the work Dropbox is doing on top of their file system, like building Paper as a competitor to Google Docs.

awad 9y ago
I agree -- and that's simply their 'big bets' if we give them credit for trying to do other things. The reality is EVEN their core business which, if we simplify to 'rsync that just works for people who have no idea what a terminal is', actually does require substantial overhead at their scale. In other words, while I appreciate that it's nice to fantasize about the single hacker making $$$ off a side project they built over a weekend, reality is far more nuanced. There exists these people, to be sure, but they are far and few between. Most of the time, big companies valued in the billions of dollars actually do need headcount to help keep that business running.

dx034 9y ago

I just wonder why all of them have to be in the most expensive part of the US. Tech talent might be more accessible in SF but support staff and marketing shouldn't be. Having offices in a cheaper location would not only save the company money but also be potentially nicer for employees. It would probably cut most people's commute time and increase cost-adjusted salaries.

codecamper 9y ago
Isn't that the part that is built on landfill & so the buildings will simply sink into the earth during the big one?
- vnchr 9y ago
  So you're saying Dropbox is going to drop...into the ocean?
  - e40 9y ago
    No, the landfilled earth will turn into a liquid, briefly, during a big earthquake and the buildings will sink into them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_liquefaction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_liquefaction
    - vnchr 9y ago
      So it’s going to sync?

gxs 9y ago

Shake my head every time I see this as well. The amount of work that goes into creating and selling a brand, running the actual business (selling, implementing, supporting), on top G&A, is way more than people realize. On top of that, the amount of work that goes into raising money, preparing for IPO, etc. is also quite a lot. That's before you get into building the actual product, developing the roadmap, working with product marketing, R&D, etc. I run this issue especially when building software for parts of the business that aren't product - engineers are so condescending it's remarkable.