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> Maaaan if we were in the same room. Don't belittle someone who's trying to accomplish something (and following through with it). I'm not belittling. I'm just

> Maaaan if we were in the same room. Don't belittle someone who's trying to accomplish something (and following through with it). I'm not belittling. I'm just saying set realistic goals. "Build an open-source Amazon" without the budget or the manpower ? Its simply not realistic unless you have very deep pockets and a team of hundreds of full-time staff. If you think I'm being unduly harsh, what sort of grilling do you think the OP will be subjected to when they rock up at a bank or VC fund looking for a few hundred million ?

A4ET8a8uTh0 4y ago
Just as a quick counter-argument. Amazon did not become today's behemoth overnight. It started as a source for books and then slowly expanded into other sectors as it perfected its execution. I might agree that the characterization is a little bombastic, but: 1) It is oddly good marketing if mildly misleading ( as discussed in other posts it is not exactly a 'replacement for Amazon store for seller' as I would have initially thought from the initial presentation ) 2) Here we are discussing its merits or lack thereof In short, I agree with your general point, when compared to today's Amazon, but I think it was more of a rhetorical device rather than a 'factual statement'.
rglover 4y ago
No, you're setting limits on another human being, likely because you're intimidated by them even having the stones to go through with it (and you won't/can't). Folks like you are a dime-a-dozen and they are always hollow souls who can't accomplish a fraction of the people they push down. > what sort of grilling do you think the OP will be subjected to when they rock up at a bank or VC fund looking for a few hundred million ? Appropriate grilling (financial prospects, executive potential, etc), not being told to "lower your ambitions."
- robertlagrant 4y ago
  - rglover 4y ago
    It's amazing how many people condescend to others on here and then are surprised when someone else defends them.
    - joshmanders 4y ago
      I feel like I should bookmark this thread so I can come back in a few years when this dude is huge and say "Geez, I bet you wish you kept your yap shut" to all these people telling him to reel his ambitions in. I still smirk at the chucklehead who dismissed Drew Houston when he "Show HN: Dropbox"
      - robertlagrant 4y ago
        How many people are saying that?
      - dang 4y ago
        Uh oh, dang pet peeve time (sorry) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29178442 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29178442 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28293146 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28293146 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24366316 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24366316 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23229275 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23229275 Short version, he was genuinely trying to be helpful and that thread has been taken out of context over the years.
        joshmanders 4y ago
        I always welcome a dang pet peeve. Thanks for clarification and context. I appreciate you. <3
    - robertlagrant 4y ago
      It's not the concept of defence I was commenting on. It's the nastiness. As for condescension: that's in the eye of the beholder. When the OP said "Let me know what you guys think of the idea and if you see any potential pitfalls" do you think that was a mistake to ask for feedback? Should they have only asked for affirmation?
jollybean 4y ago
You're 100% condescending and unduly harsh. Obviously the dude is not 'replacing amazon' that's a mischaracterization on their part, but they are doing something definitely legit, and within scope of what a small team can do to start with.
dang 4y ago
That's why theturtletalks should apply to YC first! I'm sure YC would love to fund an open-source Amazon competitor if they believed in the execution enough to give it, say, a 1% chance of success (or even much less than that, given Amazon's size). That "bank of VC fund" you speak probably looks at a startup like this very differently after they've been through YC, not just because of YC's reputation but also because YC can do a lot to help a startup like this after funding it.

A4ET8a8uTh0 4y ago

Just as a quick counter-argument. Amazon did not become today's behemoth overnight. It started as a source for books and then slowly expanded into other sectors as it perfected its execution. I might agree that the characterization is a little bombastic, but: 1) It is oddly good marketing if mildly misleading ( as discussed in other posts it is not exactly a 'replacement for Amazon store for seller' as I would have initially thought from the initial presentation ) 2) Here we are discussing its merits or lack thereof In short, I agree with your general point, when compared to today's Amazon, but I think it was more of a rhetorical device rather than a 'factual statement'.

rglover 4y ago

No, you're setting limits on another human being, likely because you're intimidated by them even having the stones to go through with it (and you won't/can't). Folks like you are a dime-a-dozen and they are always hollow souls who can't accomplish a fraction of the people they push down. > what sort of grilling do you think the OP will be subjected to when they rock up at a bank or VC fund looking for a few hundred million ? Appropriate grilling (financial prospects, executive potential, etc), not being told to "lower your ambitions."

robertlagrant 4y ago
- rglover 4y ago
  It's amazing how many people condescend to others on here and then are surprised when someone else defends them.
  - joshmanders 4y ago
    I feel like I should bookmark this thread so I can come back in a few years when this dude is huge and say "Geez, I bet you wish you kept your yap shut" to all these people telling him to reel his ambitions in. I still smirk at the chucklehead who dismissed Drew Houston when he "Show HN: Dropbox"
    - robertlagrant 4y ago
      How many people are saying that?
    - dang 4y ago
      Uh oh, dang pet peeve time (sorry) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29178442 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29178442 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28293146 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28293146 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24366316 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24366316 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23229275 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23229275 Short version, he was genuinely trying to be helpful and that thread has been taken out of context over the years.
      - joshmanders 4y ago
        I always welcome a dang pet peeve. Thanks for clarification and context. I appreciate you. <3
  - robertlagrant 4y ago
    It's not the concept of defence I was commenting on. It's the nastiness. As for condescension: that's in the eye of the beholder. When the OP said "Let me know what you guys think of the idea and if you see any potential pitfalls" do you think that was a mistake to ask for feedback? Should they have only asked for affirmation?

jollybean 4y ago

You're 100% condescending and unduly harsh. Obviously the dude is not 'replacing amazon' that's a mischaracterization on their part, but they are doing something definitely legit, and within scope of what a small team can do to start with.

dang 4y ago

That's why theturtletalks should apply to YC first! I'm sure YC would love to fund an open-source Amazon competitor if they believed in the execution enough to give it, say, a 1% chance of success (or even much less than that, given Amazon's size). That "bank of VC fund" you speak probably looks at a startup like this very differently after they've been through YC, not just because of YC's reputation but also because YC can do a lot to help a startup like this after funding it.