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I don't get it. Are startups now just a new resume? How are BackType users supposed to react to this? How are users supposed to trust other API startups if they

I don't get it. Are startups now just a new resume? How are BackType users supposed to react to this? How are users supposed to trust other API startups if they can just get the rug pulled out from them like this? I'm happy for the team, but is there not any way they could have transitioned the project to other developers and still joined twitter fulltime?

andrewljohnson 15y ago
Start-ups are businesses. They make money for their investors and founders. Handing off the code sounds like hippie poppycock to me. I suppose they can do it if they want to, but they don't have to.
- amirmc 15y ago
  Sure, but it reinforces the notion that you can't put too much faith in a startup sticking it out. Normally that's because people think they might go bust and you'll lose that thing you got used to having. It also applies to when a startup gets acquired and the service is then shut down. Folks who've been stung by this once might think twice before using/buying stuff from a small company in future.
  - endlessvoid94 15y ago
    So far, I haven't heard a PEEP from anyone paying backtype. If what you say is true, where is all the press about how horrible this is for their customers?
    - amirmc 15y ago
      I'm making a general point about why people don't always like to use products from startups and how this particular case reinforces their views. I wasn't suggesting that backtype had paying customers. Also, a lack of press coverage does not mean there aren't unhappy users out there.
    - benjiweber 15y ago
      We're using the BackType API and it is frustrating that they're discontinuing the API. They've also just announced the discontinuation of the service with no word about timescales that this entails. For all we know they could discontinue it tomorrow. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anyone offering a real alternative to the BackType APIs. There is Topsy which doesn't seem to have as much data coverage. Other alternatives require handling live streams of considerably more data.
- nestlequ1k 15y ago
  Seems like it's a valuable asset and they are wasting it. If twitter just cares about the team, why not sell the product to another team who can keep building and extending it. Similar thing happened when facebook bought the mac developer Sofa. They sold off their products to another developer.

andrewljohnson 15y ago

Start-ups are businesses. They make money for their investors and founders. Handing off the code sounds like hippie poppycock to me. I suppose they can do it if they want to, but they don't have to.

amirmc 15y ago
Sure, but it reinforces the notion that you can't put too much faith in a startup sticking it out. Normally that's because people think they might go bust and you'll lose that thing you got used to having. It also applies to when a startup gets acquired and the service is then shut down. Folks who've been stung by this once might think twice before using/buying stuff from a small company in future.
- endlessvoid94 15y ago
  So far, I haven't heard a PEEP from anyone paying backtype. If what you say is true, where is all the press about how horrible this is for their customers?
  - amirmc 15y ago
    I'm making a general point about why people don't always like to use products from startups and how this particular case reinforces their views. I wasn't suggesting that backtype had paying customers. Also, a lack of press coverage does not mean there aren't unhappy users out there.
  - benjiweber 15y ago
    We're using the BackType API and it is frustrating that they're discontinuing the API. They've also just announced the discontinuation of the service with no word about timescales that this entails. For all we know they could discontinue it tomorrow. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anyone offering a real alternative to the BackType APIs. There is Topsy which doesn't seem to have as much data coverage. Other alternatives require handling live streams of considerably more data.
nestlequ1k 15y ago
Seems like it's a valuable asset and they are wasting it. If twitter just cares about the team, why not sell the product to another team who can keep building and extending it. Similar thing happened when facebook bought the mac developer Sofa. They sold off their products to another developer.