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Does anyone else see Wozniak as the headliner and shrug? He has no track-record of successful companies since Apple. Why is this news and why did it hit the fr

by andjd 5y ago

Does anyone else see Wozniak as the headliner and shrug? He has no track-record of successful companies since Apple. Why is this news and why did it hit the front page of HN?

yunohn 5y ago
While I don't claim that Wozniak has any business running a space junk cleanup company - I am confused about your requirement that all founders must be serially successful ones for any of their ventures to matter.
- halfmatthalfcat 5y ago
  Because it ends up as just noise. If there’s no track record of execution, there’s little hope if any that this will be fruitful in any capacity.
  - femiagbabiaka 5y ago
    Does execution really matter? Elon Musk exists.
    - mlindner 5y ago
      ??? Execution on vision is the thing Elon Musk is most well known for, possibly more than anyone else in our current era.
      - femiagbabiaka 5y ago
        This is the complete opposite of the truth on almost every front. Elon is really good at bluster and branding. The execution is never there at launch of one of his ventures and usually only halfway there years later, this applies to X.com, SolarCity, Tesla, and SpaceX, all of which were and in some cases still are failures even until this day. But surviving for long enough and with the right folks around you means that you can turn things around.
        thachmai 5y ago
        I don't know much about other Musk companies. But if you claim that SpaceX isn't the leading Space company by a huge margin, or that their execution is somehow behind any other space company, you obviously do not know much at all about SpaceX.
        femiagbabiaka 5y ago
        The success of SpaceX has nothing to do with Musk and a lot to do with this woman: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwynne_Shotwell https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwynne_Shotwell. That even you, who ostensibly cares quite a bit about SpaceX, don’t know this is a testament to how little execution matters.
        nexuist 5y ago
        I think your definition of execution is a little off, or at least, confused. In a previous comment you wrote: > But surviving for long enough and with the right folks around you means that you can turn things around. Did Elon not hire and then promote Gwynne? Is recruiting the right people and keeping them happy and fulfilled not an important part of executing any vision? If all you do as a CEO is hire smart people who make tons of money for your company while solving hard problems, you've succeeded as a CEO. What else does a CEO do?
        femiagbabiaka 5y ago
        If every company that a CEO touches is a tirefire until they are removed from day-to-day operations, is that good execution on their part? Just because they eventually hire the right people and those people are successful? (Ignoring of course that hiring is not a 1 person job.) Even when they are a liability to the company through their actions, lying to shareholders and customers? I'm not so sure. If Elon had ever lead a company to success of his own volition then I could say different. But he mostly gets credit for other people's work -- that's how his inclusion into the list of founders of Paypal came about in the first place, how he came to be head of Tesla, and also now how folks mistakenly give him credit for the success of SpaceX.
- mlindner 5y ago
  Someone who's serially unsuccessful is worse than someone who has no record.
  - akaij 5y ago
    I don't agree with this. Even though the attempt fails, the experience stays with you. Could you explain your reasoning?
    - mlindner 5y ago
      A single failure sure, but repeated failures shows that you aren't learning from failure.
ctdonath 5y ago
Because Woz. Even naysayers took time to read &/| post.
h2odragon 5y ago
Every "space company" has to have a celebrity name attached to it, right? Even if they're not really a celebrity and no one remembers why they were famous. I'm cynical about the actual need for the proposed service, but I wouldn't begrudge Woz the opportunity to rent his name out for joy or cash.
- zohch 5y ago
  > Every "space company" has to have a celebrity name attached to it, right? Do they? I only know of two with celebrity names attached, and at least four than do not.
ilamont 5y ago
2020: Wozniak’s latest venture is called Efforce and aims to use cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to make it cheaper and easier for companies to fund ‘green’ projects. https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/technology/apple-co-founder-steve-wozniak-launches-a-new-company-after-45-years-6196381.html https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/technology/apple-co-founde... 2017: Steve "Woz" Wozniak, cofounder of Apple Computer and inventor of the Apple II computer, announced on Friday the launch of his latest startup, Woz U. https://www.inc.com/business-insider/steve-woz-wozniak-apple-co-founder-launches-new-startup-woz-u-technology.html https://www.inc.com/business-insider/steve-woz-wozniak-apple...
newman8r 5y ago
I'd be interested in seeing a startup he's intimately involved with as a true cofounder. If he's just on board for name recognition/funding I'm less intrigued.
toast0 5y ago
With all due respect to Woz, having him headline your company is an admission of a scam. He's let his name get attached to so much garbage.
zohch 5y ago
> Does anyone else see Wozniak as the headliner and shrug? I look at it and cringe. Would be much more credible without his name on it.
BitwiseFool 5y ago
I still admire the man for his accomplishments and the role he played in shaping the modern world of computing. But I also recognize that his current role is to provide brand recognition for longshot companies.
edm0nd 5y ago
His name will get headlines and PR no matter what he is doing. Just a fact in the tech biz for being who he is.
eplanit 5y ago
I do. I respect the guy, but this seems like a "me too" (the traditional meaning, as in someone trying to assert "Hey, I'm a player, too"). It's a worthy cause, but I think his major contribution may be his celebrity cache. Musk has a name re: Space based on accomplishments, hands down. Branson's move extends the Virgin enterprises, and Bezos has a similar business plan and track record as Branson. But now comes Woz, older and much later to the game, and with no background of experience. His name, face, and personality will bring in investors, though, I'm sure.
wolverine876 5y ago
You want entrepreneurs who don't fail? Then they aren't entrepreneurs.

by andjd 5y ago

Does anyone else see Wozniak as the headliner and shrug? He has no track-record of successful companies since Apple. Why is this news and why did it hit the front page of HN?

yunohn 5y ago

While I don't claim that Wozniak has any business running a space junk cleanup company - I am confused about your requirement that all founders must be serially successful ones for any of their ventures to matter.

halfmatthalfcat 5y ago
Because it ends up as just noise. If there’s no track record of execution, there’s little hope if any that this will be fruitful in any capacity.
- femiagbabiaka 5y ago
  Does execution really matter? Elon Musk exists.
  - mlindner 5y ago
    ??? Execution on vision is the thing Elon Musk is most well known for, possibly more than anyone else in our current era.
    - femiagbabiaka 5y ago
      This is the complete opposite of the truth on almost every front. Elon is really good at bluster and branding. The execution is never there at launch of one of his ventures and usually only halfway there years later, this applies to X.com, SolarCity, Tesla, and SpaceX, all of which were and in some cases still are failures even until this day. But surviving for long enough and with the right folks around you means that you can turn things around.
      - thachmai 5y ago
        I don't know much about other Musk companies. But if you claim that SpaceX isn't the leading Space company by a huge margin, or that their execution is somehow behind any other space company, you obviously do not know much at all about SpaceX.
        femiagbabiaka 5y ago
        The success of SpaceX has nothing to do with Musk and a lot to do with this woman: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwynne_Shotwell https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwynne_Shotwell. That even you, who ostensibly cares quite a bit about SpaceX, don’t know this is a testament to how little execution matters.
        nexuist 5y ago
        I think your definition of execution is a little off, or at least, confused. In a previous comment you wrote: > But surviving for long enough and with the right folks around you means that you can turn things around. Did Elon not hire and then promote Gwynne? Is recruiting the right people and keeping them happy and fulfilled not an important part of executing any vision? If all you do as a CEO is hire smart people who make tons of money for your company while solving hard problems, you've succeeded as a CEO. What else does a CEO do?
        femiagbabiaka 5y ago
        If every company that a CEO touches is a tirefire until they are removed from day-to-day operations, is that good execution on their part? Just because they eventually hire the right people and those people are successful? (Ignoring of course that hiring is not a 1 person job.) Even when they are a liability to the company through their actions, lying to shareholders and customers? I'm not so sure. If Elon had ever lead a company to success of his own volition then I could say different. But he mostly gets credit for other people's work -- that's how his inclusion into the list of founders of Paypal came about in the first place, how he came to be head of Tesla, and also now how folks mistakenly give him credit for the success of SpaceX.
mlindner 5y ago
Someone who's serially unsuccessful is worse than someone who has no record.
- akaij 5y ago
  I don't agree with this. Even though the attempt fails, the experience stays with you. Could you explain your reasoning?
  - mlindner 5y ago
    A single failure sure, but repeated failures shows that you aren't learning from failure.

ctdonath 5y ago

Because Woz. Even naysayers took time to read &/| post.

h2odragon 5y ago

Every "space company" has to have a celebrity name attached to it, right? Even if they're not really a celebrity and no one remembers why they were famous. I'm cynical about the actual need for the proposed service, but I wouldn't begrudge Woz the opportunity to rent his name out for joy or cash.

zohch 5y ago
> Every "space company" has to have a celebrity name attached to it, right? Do they? I only know of two with celebrity names attached, and at least four than do not.

ilamont 5y ago

2020: Wozniak’s latest venture is called Efforce and aims to use cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to make it cheaper and easier for companies to fund ‘green’ projects. https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/technology/apple-co-founder-steve-wozniak-launches-a-new-company-after-45-years-6196381.html https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/technology/apple-co-founde... 2017: Steve "Woz" Wozniak, cofounder of Apple Computer and inventor of the Apple II computer, announced on Friday the launch of his latest startup, Woz U. https://www.inc.com/business-insider/steve-woz-wozniak-apple-co-founder-launches-new-startup-woz-u-technology.html https://www.inc.com/business-insider/steve-woz-wozniak-apple...

newman8r 5y ago

I'd be interested in seeing a startup he's intimately involved with as a true cofounder. If he's just on board for name recognition/funding I'm less intrigued.

toast0 5y ago

With all due respect to Woz, having him headline your company is an admission of a scam. He's let his name get attached to so much garbage.

zohch 5y ago

> Does anyone else see Wozniak as the headliner and shrug? I look at it and cringe. Would be much more credible without his name on it.

BitwiseFool 5y ago

I still admire the man for his accomplishments and the role he played in shaping the modern world of computing. But I also recognize that his current role is to provide brand recognition for longshot companies.

edm0nd 5y ago

His name will get headlines and PR no matter what he is doing. Just a fact in the tech biz for being who he is.

eplanit 5y ago

I do. I respect the guy, but this seems like a "me too" (the traditional meaning, as in someone trying to assert "Hey, I'm a player, too"). It's a worthy cause, but I think his major contribution may be his celebrity cache. Musk has a name re: Space based on accomplishments, hands down. Branson's move extends the Virgin enterprises, and Bezos has a similar business plan and track record as Branson. But now comes Woz, older and much later to the game, and with no background of experience. His name, face, and personality will bring in investors, though, I'm sure.

wolverine876 5y ago

You want entrepreneurs who don't fail? Then they aren't entrepreneurs.