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<rant> About the author: At Facebook, he was technical lead in charge of Facebook's Pages, Facebook's "Like" button, and was responsible for Facebook Beacon I

<rant> About the author: At Facebook, he was technical lead in charge of Facebook's Pages, Facebook's "Like" button, and was responsible for Facebook Beacon I guess I am just not seeing "greatness" here. In the pickup artist world, there is a phrase called "keyboard jockey" used to describe people who love to type ideas and tips about meeting women but in reality, they are just recycling ideas they have read and spend very little time actually talking with women. Keyboard jockeys are not respected and called out on. I'd argue the tech world is increasingly getting filled with keyboard jockeys - folks who can write and preach seemingly-inspiring shit all day but don't actually eat their own dog food. /rant

lpolovets 15y ago
Those are pretty cool things to be a tech lead for. While I agree that those projects are not earth-shattering or incredibly innovative[1], Facebook's traffic numbers make everything technically interesting. For example, the Like button is served 3 billion times per day[2]. I'm sure FB has a lot of infrastructure for that kind of load, but knowing that you might have 3 billion daily hits leads to some interesting technical challenges. [1] Although perhaps somewhat earth-shattering just because hundreds of millions of people use those features. [2] http://venturebeat.com/2010/07/07/facebook-like-buttons/ http://venturebeat.com/2010/07/07/facebook-like-buttons/
- badclient 15y ago
  Except neither "cool things" nor "technically interesting" have much to do with the author's core message: doing great things and changing the world for the better. It is especially humorous to see someone who worked on Facebook Beacon deride coupon startups and social games: I do not doubt that services like social games and coupons bring delight to people’s lives, and I mean no disrespect to the hard work that has made them possible. But in the face of threats to humanity’s future on the one hand and the extraordinary potential of mankind on the other, at some point we must ask: are we capable of more?
zmitri 15y ago
I think a lot of people who can't "create" greatness can still inspire it -- especially when you've got a high profile like him. Regardless of what's he's done, I'd rather he write something like that an inspire a couple people than do nothing. Who's to say that's not greatness in itself? I also agree with what he's saying in general, so maybe I'm a bit biased.
- badclient 15y ago
  I also agree with what he's saying in general, so maybe I'm a bit biased. What he is saying is that he wishes his startup didn't have such a hard time retaining tech talent from going and doing their own start-up. It's amazing how we see the same evil bitching from these founders deceptively repackaged as something more noble.
  - Toddward 15y ago
    Regardless of whether there's an ulterior motive for him writing the piece, I think it's still a good reminder for everyone. Take the who and the why out of the equation here and you're left with a pretty sobering point - there are bigger problems to solve than figuring out how to make people pay for nonsense in flash games on Facebook (no disrespect to Zynga'ers).
    - badclient 15y ago
      Take the who and the why out of the equation I actually disagree. Imagine someone saying "you suck as a human if you are working on _______". This piece is basically a softer version of that statement. Immediately, it makes you ask: who the heck are you to be saying this and what have you done?
      - Toddward 15y ago
        And that's fine - I'm not affirming or denying that he's done anything meaningful. That's why I'm saying you should try to look at his statement by filtering out who is saying it, what they've done, and what their ulterior motive might be. Does anyone disagree that there are bigger problems to be solved than are currently being tackled by many startups? Not that most startups can tackle the daunting task of solving some of these problems themselves (at least, not without some serious IP and capital), but it's useful for a bit of perspective. Are we really solving some fundamental problem in the world by perfecting daily deals? No - it's silly to argue otherwise.
shadowfiend 15y ago
These features have often been demonized, here and elsewhere, but perhaps you're missing the positives that they have provided. With an audience of 500 million+ users, features like Pages do not only let a company like Macy's interact with its customers. They let charities do so, as well, at virtually no cost. They let citizens organize, at virtually no cost, against their oppressive leaderships. The Like button may or may not be a terror of tracking, but it lets people share knowledge faster and further than ever before. It lets you read that thing you never would have if you hadn't friended someone you don't really know that well two years ago. That article that sparked an idea that had lain dormant for months, maybe years, and finally came together. You may not think Pages and the Like button have a “great capacity to change the world” (his definition of greatness in this article), but I hope you can see how he may think that is the case. Indeed, how many people may think so.
- badclient 15y ago
  The same arguments that you make for Pages could be made for the so-called coupon startups and gaming startups he seems to deride: I do not doubt that services like social games and coupons bring delight to people’s lives, and I mean no disrespect to the hard work that has made them possible. But in the face of threats to humanity’s future on the one hand and the extraordinary potential of mankind on the other, at some point we must ask: are we capable of more? Hypocritical much?
frasertimo 15y ago
Well the author worked at Facebook, so you've got to think he truly believes they were changing the world. His work on the 'like' button was that of a small cog working to achieve that change. And as often as I openly express how I dislike much of what Facebook does, you have to admit it's done a lot of good. Like SOPA/PIPA being dropped; sure the tech community did a lot of the legwork through the blackouts and spreading it through the channels of HN, Reddit, etc, but when those sites went down, all my non-techie friends were all over Facebook discussing it, and getting riled up over SOPA/PIPA. And that happens ALL THE TIME. Sure, this was one of the most unified and effective examples, but you can't deny that Facebook is a hub not only for socializing, but for political and social awareness. It's been a great force in drawing back the blinds from a whole lot of mystery in the world. I'd argue we're much better off for all the openness and discussion that Facebook has provided. On another note; screw Timeline.
- badclient 15y ago
  Any company that gets a few hundred million users is changing the world in some manner. But before the said company gets the few hundred million users, it must get 100 user and then a 1,000. I'd argue facebook at 1,000 users would not pass the author's greatness test. And yet, you can't have hundreds of millions of users before you have 1,000 of them.
wavephorm 15y ago
Totally agreed. This is a bunch of rhetoric coming from someone who has no business telling other startups that what they're doing isn't important enough. Every word in that post is written with a hint of "At Asana we're doing amazing world-changing things, and your shitty startup isn't". And guess what, Asana isn't doing anything important either. Asana is adding social networking features to a chat app for business right in the middle of a Social Network bubble. The reality is unless you're curing cancer, building a space station or cold fusion reactor, chances are you aren't doing anything all that significant in the long term history of mankind. Mr. Rosenstein can come down off his high horse now.
- lrobb 15y ago
  When I first read this piece, I was shaking my head "yes!"... Then I read what Asana actually DOES... <sigh> So I re-read it, and my takeaway was "Hey googlers, come work for us, you'll have a bigger impact". I was reminded of the awful quote I heard recently: "The best minds of my generation are being wasted trying to figure out how to get people to click on ads".
  - rachelbythebay 15y ago
    I had forgotten about that quote, so I dug up the article: http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/why-this-tech-bubble-is-different-20110415-1dhbm.html http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/why-this-tech-... Good call.
zerostar07 15y ago
Importantly, facebook itself didn't launch to "do great things", quite the opposite.

lpolovets 15y ago

Those are pretty cool things to be a tech lead for. While I agree that those projects are not earth-shattering or incredibly innovative[1], Facebook's traffic numbers make everything technically interesting. For example, the Like button is served 3 billion times per day[2]. I'm sure FB has a lot of infrastructure for that kind of load, but knowing that you might have 3 billion daily hits leads to some interesting technical challenges. [1] Although perhaps somewhat earth-shattering just because hundreds of millions of people use those features. [2] http://venturebeat.com/2010/07/07/facebook-like-buttons/ http://venturebeat.com/2010/07/07/facebook-like-buttons/

badclient 15y ago
Except neither "cool things" nor "technically interesting" have much to do with the author's core message: doing great things and changing the world for the better. It is especially humorous to see someone who worked on Facebook Beacon deride coupon startups and social games: I do not doubt that services like social games and coupons bring delight to people’s lives, and I mean no disrespect to the hard work that has made them possible. But in the face of threats to humanity’s future on the one hand and the extraordinary potential of mankind on the other, at some point we must ask: are we capable of more?

zmitri 15y ago

I think a lot of people who can't "create" greatness can still inspire it -- especially when you've got a high profile like him. Regardless of what's he's done, I'd rather he write something like that an inspire a couple people than do nothing. Who's to say that's not greatness in itself? I also agree with what he's saying in general, so maybe I'm a bit biased.

badclient 15y ago
I also agree with what he's saying in general, so maybe I'm a bit biased. What he is saying is that he wishes his startup didn't have such a hard time retaining tech talent from going and doing their own start-up. It's amazing how we see the same evil bitching from these founders deceptively repackaged as something more noble.
- Toddward 15y ago
  Regardless of whether there's an ulterior motive for him writing the piece, I think it's still a good reminder for everyone. Take the who and the why out of the equation here and you're left with a pretty sobering point - there are bigger problems to solve than figuring out how to make people pay for nonsense in flash games on Facebook (no disrespect to Zynga'ers).
  - badclient 15y ago
    Take the who and the why out of the equation I actually disagree. Imagine someone saying "you suck as a human if you are working on _______". This piece is basically a softer version of that statement. Immediately, it makes you ask: who the heck are you to be saying this and what have you done?
    - Toddward 15y ago
      And that's fine - I'm not affirming or denying that he's done anything meaningful. That's why I'm saying you should try to look at his statement by filtering out who is saying it, what they've done, and what their ulterior motive might be. Does anyone disagree that there are bigger problems to be solved than are currently being tackled by many startups? Not that most startups can tackle the daunting task of solving some of these problems themselves (at least, not without some serious IP and capital), but it's useful for a bit of perspective. Are we really solving some fundamental problem in the world by perfecting daily deals? No - it's silly to argue otherwise.

shadowfiend 15y ago

These features have often been demonized, here and elsewhere, but perhaps you're missing the positives that they have provided. With an audience of 500 million+ users, features like Pages do not only let a company like Macy's interact with its customers. They let charities do so, as well, at virtually no cost. They let citizens organize, at virtually no cost, against their oppressive leaderships. The Like button may or may not be a terror of tracking, but it lets people share knowledge faster and further than ever before. It lets you read that thing you never would have if you hadn't friended someone you don't really know that well two years ago. That article that sparked an idea that had lain dormant for months, maybe years, and finally came together. You may not think Pages and the Like button have a “great capacity to change the world” (his definition of greatness in this article), but I hope you can see how he may think that is the case. Indeed, how many people may think so.

badclient 15y ago
The same arguments that you make for Pages could be made for the so-called coupon startups and gaming startups he seems to deride: I do not doubt that services like social games and coupons bring delight to people’s lives, and I mean no disrespect to the hard work that has made them possible. But in the face of threats to humanity’s future on the one hand and the extraordinary potential of mankind on the other, at some point we must ask: are we capable of more? Hypocritical much?

frasertimo 15y ago

Well the author worked at Facebook, so you've got to think he truly believes they were changing the world. His work on the 'like' button was that of a small cog working to achieve that change. And as often as I openly express how I dislike much of what Facebook does, you have to admit it's done a lot of good. Like SOPA/PIPA being dropped; sure the tech community did a lot of the legwork through the blackouts and spreading it through the channels of HN, Reddit, etc, but when those sites went down, all my non-techie friends were all over Facebook discussing it, and getting riled up over SOPA/PIPA. And that happens ALL THE TIME. Sure, this was one of the most unified and effective examples, but you can't deny that Facebook is a hub not only for socializing, but for political and social awareness. It's been a great force in drawing back the blinds from a whole lot of mystery in the world. I'd argue we're much better off for all the openness and discussion that Facebook has provided. On another note; screw Timeline.

badclient 15y ago
Any company that gets a few hundred million users is changing the world in some manner. But before the said company gets the few hundred million users, it must get 100 user and then a 1,000. I'd argue facebook at 1,000 users would not pass the author's greatness test. And yet, you can't have hundreds of millions of users before you have 1,000 of them.

wavephorm 15y ago

Totally agreed. This is a bunch of rhetoric coming from someone who has no business telling other startups that what they're doing isn't important enough. Every word in that post is written with a hint of "At Asana we're doing amazing world-changing things, and your shitty startup isn't". And guess what, Asana isn't doing anything important either. Asana is adding social networking features to a chat app for business right in the middle of a Social Network bubble. The reality is unless you're curing cancer, building a space station or cold fusion reactor, chances are you aren't doing anything all that significant in the long term history of mankind. Mr. Rosenstein can come down off his high horse now.

lrobb 15y ago
When I first read this piece, I was shaking my head "yes!"... Then I read what Asana actually DOES... <sigh> So I re-read it, and my takeaway was "Hey googlers, come work for us, you'll have a bigger impact". I was reminded of the awful quote I heard recently: "The best minds of my generation are being wasted trying to figure out how to get people to click on ads".
- rachelbythebay 15y ago
  I had forgotten about that quote, so I dug up the article: http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/why-this-tech-bubble-is-different-20110415-1dhbm.html http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/why-this-tech-... Good call.

zerostar07 15y ago

Importantly, facebook itself didn't launch to "do great things", quite the opposite.