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Growing to a billion users is harder than you think. There were many other social networks, including ones started at other top schools, but only one survived,
by paul 14y ago
Growing to a billion users is harder than you think. There were many other social networks, including ones started at other top schools, but only one survived, and it was because they understood what makes a site like fb work.
- corford 14y agoYes, but is it $100 billion's worth of hard work? I guess that's what the market gets to decide. Edit: also half the problem is caused by assuming 1 billion users translates to anything meaningful. Apart from being an impressive number in its own right, what exactly does it mean? Facebook is free to use and helps satisfy basic human social desires in a digital way. Great but would they have 1 billion users if it wasn't free? No. If I could distribute beer for free and and offered every male on the planet over the age of 18 a free keg, I'd probably have a billion takers.
- waterlesscloud 14y agoSo your basic issue is that in your judgement the founders and employees don't deserve their level of success? Which internet company does, in your judgement?
- corford 14y agoFrankly, I struggle to see how virtually any internet company warrants a valuation north of $100 billion dollars. Especially those with a P/E ratio approaching or beyond 100. $100,000,000,000 is a VERY big number. It feels almost absurd (to me at least) that a single company can create that much "value" in less than 8 years. But maybe I'm the one with the problem and I just can't get my head around "web scale" economics.
- gtirloni 14y agoI tend to look at prices as a joke. An illusion that I'm willing to play a part in. When I apply that logic to FB's 100bn valuation, it makes sense. Doesn't make us all look any less stupid though.
- Mistone 14y agoi would argue that indeed 1 billion users translates to something very meaningful. They built something people wanted, someone get Zuck a shirt.