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Don't build a house on a river and then blame the water. There has never been a company-controlled ecosystem that has EVER thrived for long without the company
by lubujackson 14y ago
Don't build a house on a river and then blame the water.
There has never been a company-controlled ecosystem that has EVER thrived for long without the company swooping in to get that easy money.
In fact, now that Facebook is public, its their fiduciary duty to do just that. They could get sued if they DIDN'T try to cheaply build out their own versions of successful products.
The only surprise is that anyone is surprised by this, or thinks that Facebook has "lost their way", or had any other intentions when they started their platform. This is standard business practice - make a little ecosystem, let people futz around in it for a while. If it fails, shut it down; if it succeeds, go pick the low-hanging fruit.
- slantyyz 14y agoI agree. It's risky to bet a company on someone else's platform, whether it be Facebook, Craigslist or someone else. You are at that company's mercy. Even the most stable company can decide to pivot their strategy, change management (i.e., your cheerleader/sponsor retires, gets fired or worse), and at that point, you're just collateral damage.