>> So what you're saying is, you'll note as someone who has benefitted from the current system. Yes, this is hackernews. I'm noting that having a consistent gr

>> So what you're saying is, you'll note as someone who has benefitted from the current system. Yes, this is hackernews. I'm noting that having a consistent group of buyers for small technology companies is a good thing for...well...hackers. This entire forum is hosted by YC which fosters small technology companies. The entire forum has a bias -- most of us are technologists, many are entrepreneurs, many are small technology business entrepreneurs. I'm specifically noting that having consistent M&A is a benefit to all hackers -- and note that M&A is a choice, but it is nice to have a choice. You do realize that 30yrs ago, most hackers were relegated to the back-room while others accrued all the winnings right? Also, not sure if you've run a small company before, but its easy to create good technology with value and be unable to actually have a profitable business. Two major reasons are 1. many users dont want to pay the break-even cost, 2. legal and administrative costs for customer agreements, master servicing agreements, advertistors, etc Before Google acquired YouTube, they were bleeding cash on network/hosting fees. There was no monetization strategy, and unless money was going to be airdropped monthly, they would probably have shut down. They had <1% of the content they have today. They could theoretically go from VC round to round, but it isnt clear how that is better than an acquisition where the business was fostered into what it is now. Finally, w/r/t competitors. YouTube isnt like my mobile phone bill, or my broadband bill -- i'm not locked into a 2yr contract. Switching to a competitor is as easy as opening another tab on a browser. Which competitor do you suggest that offers equal value and how is YouTube hurting them? I watch classical concerts on YouTube. I suppose I could go buy a flight to London and purchase opera tickets, but i'm not sure if that is a better deal. I could rent DVDs of performances, but the selection at the local video store is nil. I can line up examples.