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> This alternate reality could have saved Yahoo. Indeed this is the exact “blocker” strategy is what many of today’s companies like Google/FB/etc are employing.

> This alternate reality could have saved Yahoo. Indeed this is the exact “blocker” strategy is what many of today’s companies like Google/FB/etc are employing. I don't think this is accurate. I think the main reason to pay people a lot is just to get talent and stop already existent competitors from getting that talent (which is still 'blocking' in a sense). Stopping people from making possible start-up competitors is, I think, a comparatively minor concern.

scatterhead 4y ago
Indeed. If former employee startups were the major concern, they wouldn't pay so much. It's financial independence from working at faang that enables lots of devs to leave to start or join startups.
thakoppno 4y ago
Agree, wasn’t Yahoo’s fate truly sealed once it settled with Google over Overture patents in 2004?
ipaddr 4y ago
Then why do all agreements prevent you from working on your side projects or take ip from them if there was no fear?
- pas 4y ago
  no reasonable fear doesn't mean they are not abusing their labor market position, also doesn't mean legal is not zealous about this (which is okay at that scale)
syntheweave 4y ago
At the same time, it's definitely the case that SV was built on Shockley's "traitorous eight" and its generational successors. Big waves of change erupt in the wake of past layoffs and signs point to the same occurring this time. I think it can be the case both that the big firms don't take startups seriously but also soak up talent that would otherwise form those startups, simply because other competitive dynamics motivate doing so, and the talent in question ends up with a paycheck that diminishes personal motivation.
suzzer99 4y ago
I think another big component is you can't sell a growth story to Wall St. with a skeleton crew keeping the lights on. You have to have plenty of engineers working on the next big thing.
- nine_k 4y ago
  WhatsApp might need a word with these Wall St types. You need a large and growing segment of a large and growing market. If you can pull it off with a crew of 50, the better.
  - nova22033 4y ago
    How much money did WhatsApp make before it was acquired by Facebook?
    - pixl97 4y ago
      https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/032515/whatsapp-best-facebook-purchase-ever.asp https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/032515/whats... Looks like it was a money burning pit before the buyout.
  - 8note 4y ago
    What has the what's app team made other than the what's app app? Why didn't they release the innovations on chat that openai has come up with? The question isn't can it be done with a small team, it's "what have you done for me lately?" Yesterday's growth has already been factored into the stock price, what's the thing that will double it next?

scatterhead 4y ago

Indeed. If former employee startups were the major concern, they wouldn't pay so much. It's financial independence from working at faang that enables lots of devs to leave to start or join startups.

thakoppno 4y ago

Agree, wasn’t Yahoo’s fate truly sealed once it settled with Google over Overture patents in 2004?

ipaddr 4y ago

Then why do all agreements prevent you from working on your side projects or take ip from them if there was no fear?

pas 4y ago
no reasonable fear doesn't mean they are not abusing their labor market position, also doesn't mean legal is not zealous about this (which is okay at that scale)

syntheweave 4y ago

At the same time, it's definitely the case that SV was built on Shockley's "traitorous eight" and its generational successors. Big waves of change erupt in the wake of past layoffs and signs point to the same occurring this time. I think it can be the case both that the big firms don't take startups seriously but also soak up talent that would otherwise form those startups, simply because other competitive dynamics motivate doing so, and the talent in question ends up with a paycheck that diminishes personal motivation.

suzzer99 4y ago

I think another big component is you can't sell a growth story to Wall St. with a skeleton crew keeping the lights on. You have to have plenty of engineers working on the next big thing.

nine_k 4y ago
WhatsApp might need a word with these Wall St types. You need a large and growing segment of a large and growing market. If you can pull it off with a crew of 50, the better.
- nova22033 4y ago
  How much money did WhatsApp make before it was acquired by Facebook?
  - pixl97 4y ago
    https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/032515/whatsapp-best-facebook-purchase-ever.asp https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/032515/whats... Looks like it was a money burning pit before the buyout.
- 8note 4y ago
  What has the what's app team made other than the what's app app? Why didn't they release the innovations on chat that openai has come up with? The question isn't can it be done with a small team, it's "what have you done for me lately?" Yesterday's growth has already been factored into the stock price, what's the thing that will double it next?