5 ms·

Twitter bitch. Be your own bitch."

43 points by melvinmt 15y ago

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
spencerfry 15y ago
I wrote an article titled "Platforms are for Suckers" back in June, 2010. Fred jumped in the comments and wrote: http://spencerfry.com/platforms-are-for-suckers#c-2172711 http://spencerfry.com/platforms-are-for-suckers#c-2172711 "spencer i don't totally agree with you clearly the web is the platform you want to be building on long term but building on platforms can get you to scale more quickly and less expensively than building on the open web if you asked mark pincus if he'd have built zynga on facebook if he could start all over, he'd say yes without even thinking about it if you asked betaworks if they'd have built bit.ly on twitter if they could start all over, they'd say yes without even thinking about it if you asked howard lindzon if he'd have built stocktwits on twitter before moving to the open web, he's say yes without even thinking about it the trick is to understand that platforms are a means to an end not an end in themselves" I think his comments above may flesh out the point he made on stage (although I didn't see the live video so I can't say for sure).
- fredwilson 15y ago
  yup, that's my point
  - evangineer 15y ago
    So, platforms are for bootstrapping?!
code_duck 15y ago
He doesn't leave us much of a choice, since several Fred Wilson backed companies have (purposely, I think) soured relationships with developers - Twitter, Etsy, probably others. I don't really think he cares about you, the external developer, as he naturally sees it from the side of the companies who don't wish to have 3rd party developers involved with and depending upon them. Actually, he outlined this in a blog post: http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2010/04/the-twitter-platform.html http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2010/04/the-twitter-platform.html which basically told us what was coming from Twitter et al. The attitude could also be seen as "Don't be Twitter's bitch, because Twitter doesn't even want you". I think it's good advice, and pretty much what one has to do these days. It would have been nice if those companies really saw their API developers as partners, though. Things could be different and there could be a really positive symbiotic relationship going on. Instead, they're like sharecroppers, seen as third rate clingers-on. That is how Fred sees developers I'm afraid, and his companies' actions reflect this perspective. Really, in light of how much API developers have contributed to many of these companies, I feel offended.
- fredwilson 15y ago
  remember that every company we invest in is a developer. to say that i don't care about developers is to say i don't care about the companies we invest in. that's clearly not true.
  - code_duck 15y ago
    I'm thinking third party, API consuming developers specifically. Not that you don't care or dislike these people, only that there that does not appear to be a role for API consumers in the business plans of these companies any longer.
FiddlerClamp 15y ago
What about Android and iOS, then?
- fredwilson 15y ago
  i addressed iOS, android, facebook and twitter at the end of this talk, during the Q&A session http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/23/fred-wilson-be-your-own-bitch/ http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/23/fred-wilson-be-your-own-bit...
iqster 15y ago
I was pretty disappointed by this statement. But I guess the truth is sometimes painful. Even if one tries to ignore the hype, there is some grain to the truth that Facebook and Twitter are the "operating systems" of the social web. It is hard working on an OS that keeps taking away system calls based on monetization efforts.

43 points by melvinmt 15y ago

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

I wrote an article titled "Platforms are for Suckers" back in June, 2010. Fred jumped in the comments and wrote: http://spencerfry.com/platforms-are-for-suckers#c-2172711 http://spencerfry.com/platforms-are-for-suckers#c-2172711 "spencer i don't totally agree with you clearly the web is the platform you want to be building on long term but building on platforms can get you to scale more quickly and less expensively than building on the open web if you asked mark pincus if he'd have built zynga on facebook if he could start all over, he'd say yes without even thinking about it if you asked betaworks if they'd have built bit.ly on twitter if they could start all over, they'd say yes without even thinking about it if you asked howard lindzon if he'd have built stocktwits on twitter before moving to the open web, he's say yes without even thinking about it the trick is to understand that platforms are a means to an end not an end in themselves" I think his comments above may flesh out the point he made on stage (although I didn't see the live video so I can't say for sure).

fredwilson 15y ago
yup, that's my point
- evangineer 15y ago
  So, platforms are for bootstrapping?!

code_duck 15y ago

He doesn't leave us much of a choice, since several Fred Wilson backed companies have (purposely, I think) soured relationships with developers - Twitter, Etsy, probably others. I don't really think he cares about you, the external developer, as he naturally sees it from the side of the companies who don't wish to have 3rd party developers involved with and depending upon them. Actually, he outlined this in a blog post: http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2010/04/the-twitter-platform.html http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2010/04/the-twitter-platform.html which basically told us what was coming from Twitter et al. The attitude could also be seen as "Don't be Twitter's bitch, because Twitter doesn't even want you". I think it's good advice, and pretty much what one has to do these days. It would have been nice if those companies really saw their API developers as partners, though. Things could be different and there could be a really positive symbiotic relationship going on. Instead, they're like sharecroppers, seen as third rate clingers-on. That is how Fred sees developers I'm afraid, and his companies' actions reflect this perspective. Really, in light of how much API developers have contributed to many of these companies, I feel offended.

fredwilson 15y ago
remember that every company we invest in is a developer. to say that i don't care about developers is to say i don't care about the companies we invest in. that's clearly not true.
- code_duck 15y ago
  I'm thinking third party, API consuming developers specifically. Not that you don't care or dislike these people, only that there that does not appear to be a role for API consumers in the business plans of these companies any longer.

FiddlerClamp 15y ago

What about Android and iOS, then?

fredwilson 15y ago
i addressed iOS, android, facebook and twitter at the end of this talk, during the Q&A session http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/23/fred-wilson-be-your-own-bitch/ http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/23/fred-wilson-be-your-own-bit...

iqster 15y ago

I was pretty disappointed by this statement. But I guess the truth is sometimes painful. Even if one tries to ignore the hype, there is some grain to the truth that Facebook and Twitter are the "operating systems" of the social web. It is hard working on an OS that keeps taking away system calls based on monetization efforts.