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We know for a fact that FB leadership regularly discussed ripping off smaller companies business ideas (ie, Snapchat [0]. Not a sign of moral people. https://w

We know for a fact that FB leadership regularly discussed ripping off smaller companies business ideas (ie, Snapchat [0]. Not a sign of moral people. https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2017/08/17/theftovation-facebook-likes-copying-ideas/id=86916/ https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2017/08/17/theftovation-facebook-...

mensetmanusman 5y ago
Ripping off business ideas is an aspect of competition (BK versus McDonalds), not sure it is related to morals…
- mandmandam 5y ago
  Sorry, what? If I share an mp3 the record industry demands ridiculous compensation. If I steal a paragraph in a college exam and get caught, I'm sent home without credit or refund. If I sell a drawing of a certain cartoon mouse, or draw a red shirt on Pooh, I can literally go to jail. ... But if I invest my life savings to start a company based on an insightful idea and read of the market, a trillion dollar company can rip me off wholesale and people will call it "business" and "not related to morals"? Please tell me that sounds as batshit insane to you as it does to me.
  - ceejayoz 5y ago
    > If I share an mp3 the record industry demands ridiculous compensation. If you look at the success of Britney Spears and spawn an entire market of popstar clones, though, that's entirely legal. That's essentially what Facebook did to Snapchat.
  - mensetmanusman 5y ago
    Usually general business models are not protected as intellectual property in the same way as bit-for-bit copies in the case of mp3s/writings. I’m not saying it should be. The bigger issue that you are pointing to is that the tech companies are becoming large trusts that do everything and can leverage their size to win everywhere. E.g. see Amazon competing with Intel now. The anti-trust movement needs to be stronger if society says: ‘wait, this isn’t a good idea to let one company win at everything’
- annadane 5y ago
  Oh come on. There's a limit to being pedantic
  - krapp 5y ago
    Strictly speaking, there isn't.

mensetmanusman 5y ago

Ripping off business ideas is an aspect of competition (BK versus McDonalds), not sure it is related to morals…

mandmandam 5y ago
Sorry, what? If I share an mp3 the record industry demands ridiculous compensation. If I steal a paragraph in a college exam and get caught, I'm sent home without credit or refund. If I sell a drawing of a certain cartoon mouse, or draw a red shirt on Pooh, I can literally go to jail. ... But if I invest my life savings to start a company based on an insightful idea and read of the market, a trillion dollar company can rip me off wholesale and people will call it "business" and "not related to morals"? Please tell me that sounds as batshit insane to you as it does to me.
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  > If I share an mp3 the record industry demands ridiculous compensation. If you look at the success of Britney Spears and spawn an entire market of popstar clones, though, that's entirely legal. That's essentially what Facebook did to Snapchat.
- mensetmanusman 5y ago
  Usually general business models are not protected as intellectual property in the same way as bit-for-bit copies in the case of mp3s/writings. I’m not saying it should be. The bigger issue that you are pointing to is that the tech companies are becoming large trusts that do everything and can leverage their size to win everywhere. E.g. see Amazon competing with Intel now. The anti-trust movement needs to be stronger if society says: ‘wait, this isn’t a good idea to let one company win at everything’
annadane 5y ago
Oh come on. There's a limit to being pedantic
- krapp 5y ago
  Strictly speaking, there isn't.