4 ms·

And they brand everything as a "tool for everyone" so no one can tell if they are the intended demographic until after they install the app or do an hour of res

And they brand everything as a "tool for everyone" so no one can tell if they are the intended demographic until after they install the app or do an hour of research. I would love to see how a branding team continues to justify this "Google $generic_word" branding model to the brass at Alphabet. People were unlikely to make "Hangout" a verb like "Zoom", and they definitely won't do that with "Meet". The only thing this seems to accomplish is reinforce Google's reputation for rushing things to market and pulling support too early. I really think these rushed entries by tech giants only benefit the Zooms and Slacks in the specific space. When potential customers are bogged down by choosing between Teams, Discord, Telegram, Messenger, or whatever other chat app is out there, they are more inclined to choose the familiar incumbent.

meristem 6y ago
Slack is ripe for the picking--same capabilities with a better UI, giving better value? I am amazed no one has eaten them alive yet.
- cdolan 6y ago
  Discord did a complete R&D (rob and duplicate) of Slack and focused on video game communities. It’s doing very well from what I can tell!
  - perennate 6y ago
    I haven't heard this term before, but I'm not sure it is a "rob and duplicate" if they are targeting a market segment that Slack never advertised towards nor was really designed for. Seems more like refreshing Slack for a niche, but it turns out to be a really big niche.
  - SAI_Peregrinus 6y ago
    It's Slack + low-latency voice chat. With vastly less hassle than Teamspeak/Mumble/etc. Recipe for success right there, though I'm not sure how well their monetization has gone.
- schnevets 6y ago
  You would think Microsoft Teams would beat them, but they inflated it with Office 365 "Features". In comparison, Slack feels more like a complete product the first time you use it. Any other must-haves for your organization are treated as add-ons.
perennate 6y ago
Exactly, I can already create a Hangouts video call and share a link to invite others into the call. Doesn't make sense to create an entirely new service for this use case when Hangouts was designed for it (plus the new service will have a 60 minute limitation for free accounts). I agree with what GP said about Hangouts being a zombie product, but while there may be some valid market reasons for the product fragmentation, that fragmentation is also probably hurting them more than it's helping.

meristem 6y ago

Slack is ripe for the picking--same capabilities with a better UI, giving better value? I am amazed no one has eaten them alive yet.

cdolan 6y ago
Discord did a complete R&D (rob and duplicate) of Slack and focused on video game communities. It’s doing very well from what I can tell!
- perennate 6y ago
  I haven't heard this term before, but I'm not sure it is a "rob and duplicate" if they are targeting a market segment that Slack never advertised towards nor was really designed for. Seems more like refreshing Slack for a niche, but it turns out to be a really big niche.
- SAI_Peregrinus 6y ago
  It's Slack + low-latency voice chat. With vastly less hassle than Teamspeak/Mumble/etc. Recipe for success right there, though I'm not sure how well their monetization has gone.
schnevets 6y ago
You would think Microsoft Teams would beat them, but they inflated it with Office 365 "Features". In comparison, Slack feels more like a complete product the first time you use it. Any other must-haves for your organization are treated as add-ons.

perennate 6y ago

Exactly, I can already create a Hangouts video call and share a link to invite others into the call. Doesn't make sense to create an entirely new service for this use case when Hangouts was designed for it (plus the new service will have a 60 minute limitation for free accounts). I agree with what GP said about Hangouts being a zombie product, but while there may be some valid market reasons for the product fragmentation, that fragmentation is also probably hurting them more than it's helping.