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I'm not sure if buying companies would have the same effect in a world where APIs are mostly open. For example, Facebook buying WhatsApp: The value in WhatsApp
by sharperguy 7y ago
I'm not sure if buying companies would have the same effect in a world where APIs are mostly open.
For example, Facebook buying WhatsApp: The value in WhatsApp was the network effect of having 500mil+ users all tied into the same proprietary server infrastructure. Switching to another service means losing the ability to cross communicate with anyone still on the platform. If Whatsapp's API was open, it could have allowed the users to fragment onto different servers while still cross communicating.