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Ask HN: How does craigslist run its website with just 30 people?

6 points by stevenj 16y ago

Employee # source: (4th question from the bottom) http://www.craigslist.org/about/factsheet

elliottcarlson 16y ago
They are not a leading innovator when it comes to technology - and they don't necessarily need to be. According to Newmark, the site is community driven and will respond to what the community wants - and in the end, what craigslist currently offers is obviously what they want. [1] With the right number of engineers and system administrators, there is no need for a higher overhead when you already have a well oiled machine. Throwing man power at something doesn't make things more efficient. You just need the right talent and you can do bigger things with less people. [2] So the question for you is, why would you expect or need more? [1] http://www.quora.com/Craigslist/Why-has-Craigslist-innovated-so-little-with-its-product http://www.quora.com/Craigslist/Why-has-Craigslist-innovated... [2] http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2006/04/database-war-stories-5-craigsl.html http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2006/04/database-war-stori...
- stevenj 16y ago
  >So the question for you is, why would you expect or need more? I don't think you need more. But why do many other companies have more?
drusenko 16y ago
Doesn't seem incredibly hard to pull off -- we also run a pretty large-scale network with a small team. Here's some thoughts: - They may not be counting support staff/abuse monitoring staff as employees (they might be contractors). Even if they do, it's possible that 10-15 people could do the job, depending on their support volume load. - Probably very little management overhead. This also increases productivity across the whole company, as there is a lot less communication overhead. Let's give them 4 management types, including Craig, Jim, a CFO and an engineering manager (if that's even necessary). - They don't do much feature development, so they might only have a few engineers. Let's be generous and say 5. - Running their network operations probably takes quite a few people, but with a relatively simple website, it can definitely be done with a small, efficient team. Let's say 3-5. - Let's throw in one office manager/executive administrator, to make everybody's lives easier. That totals 30, even with support, but there's still some wiggle room. If support staff or abuse monitoring staff are contractors, there's more than enough room to work with.
- elliottcarlson 16y ago
  You forgot the masseuse... http://www.linkedin.com/pub/anonor-cauldwell/24/ba1/146 http://www.linkedin.com/pub/anonor-cauldwell/24/ba1/146
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
pkamb 16y ago
By not making anything new.

6 points by stevenj 16y ago

Employee # source: (4th question from the bottom) http://www.craigslist.org/about/factsheet

They are not a leading innovator when it comes to technology - and they don't necessarily need to be. According to Newmark, the site is community driven and will respond to what the community wants - and in the end, what craigslist currently offers is obviously what they want. [1] With the right number of engineers and system administrators, there is no need for a higher overhead when you already have a well oiled machine. Throwing man power at something doesn't make things more efficient. You just need the right talent and you can do bigger things with less people. [2] So the question for you is, why would you expect or need more? [1] http://www.quora.com/Craigslist/Why-has-Craigslist-innovated-so-little-with-its-product http://www.quora.com/Craigslist/Why-has-Craigslist-innovated... [2] http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2006/04/database-war-stories-5-craigsl.html http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2006/04/database-war-stori...

stevenj 16y ago
>So the question for you is, why would you expect or need more? I don't think you need more. But why do many other companies have more?

drusenko 16y ago

Doesn't seem incredibly hard to pull off -- we also run a pretty large-scale network with a small team. Here's some thoughts: - They may not be counting support staff/abuse monitoring staff as employees (they might be contractors). Even if they do, it's possible that 10-15 people could do the job, depending on their support volume load. - Probably very little management overhead. This also increases productivity across the whole company, as there is a lot less communication overhead. Let's give them 4 management types, including Craig, Jim, a CFO and an engineering manager (if that's even necessary). - They don't do much feature development, so they might only have a few engineers. Let's be generous and say 5. - Running their network operations probably takes quite a few people, but with a relatively simple website, it can definitely be done with a small, efficient team. Let's say 3-5. - Let's throw in one office manager/executive administrator, to make everybody's lives easier. That totals 30, even with support, but there's still some wiggle room. If support staff or abuse monitoring staff are contractors, there's more than enough room to work with.

elliottcarlson 16y ago
You forgot the masseuse... http://www.linkedin.com/pub/anonor-cauldwell/24/ba1/146 http://www.linkedin.com/pub/anonor-cauldwell/24/ba1/146

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

pkamb 16y ago

By not making anything new.