14 ms·

Marissa Mayer Makes First Yahoo Acquisition: Stamped

72 points by kine 14y ago

revelation 14y ago
Great. Hiring your buddies by acquihiring their failing iPhone app startup.
- cloudwalking 14y ago
  If you need really good iOS devs this is an effective way to get them.
  - codeonfire 14y ago
    The founders don't appear to be devs, one guy is a product manager, another started his career as a tech manager. The other worked on "partnerships and marketing". Quoting crunchbase here. If I were a formed stamped dev and now a Yahoo dev, I would quit Yahoo and form a startup. After all, Yahoo bought their work for lots of money.
- cpeterso 14y ago
  Acquihiring startups is probably easier than convincing good developers to join Yahoo.
  - 001sky 14y ago
    Just in a different form: $$$ is the great convincer. -- The market
- nswans 14y ago
  You sound bitter. If you've used the product, you can see that it was beautiful, usable, and the performance was solid. If we assume that the product is failing (even though they've raised two rounds of funding from seasoned and celebrity investors alike), we know that the team can execute well. Mayer wants to move to mobile-first, so acqui-hiring a team who know how to build well for mobile can be a smart move. It may also attract talent who respects that team. Perhaps Stamped wasn't growing like they planned, but I'm sure they and Mayer think that with the right direction at Yahoo they can do great things. Who knows if it will work out. But it seems like a solid partnership for both sides.
  - jlarocco 14y ago
    Ha! I'm inclined to agree that their product was doing well simply because it was discontinued immediately after Yahoo bought them. Isn't killing successful products what Yahoo is known for?
    - jemfinch 14y ago
      This type of snarky comment diminishes the level of discourse here. Please stop making them, and please encourage others to stop making them.
      - samstave 14y ago
        Your comment is far more meta than the OP, he makes a claim that Yahoo has propensity for killing acquired services... that's germane to the subject of this thread, yours is not...
        jemfinch 14y ago
        "Meta"ness is not a problem here. Rudeness is. Comments like mine are necessary if the level of discourse is to remain higher here than other sites. Comments like the OP's are not.
  - phillmv 14y ago
    raising funds != success What was that comparison? No one says, "congratulations on that huge loan you just took out!". I'm sure the team was great, but I'm confused as to why we should be lauding this state of affairs. If they were making money, then why should they all have up and left to go work at Yahoo!? From the, admittedly poor on information and high on snark, position I'm comfortably seated on it seems like you had a great team that was wonderfully subsidized by VC that managed to save face with an 'exit'. I'm sure it's really fun to go through the motions, but I don't really see the part where they added value; I only see an elaborate social signaling event (again, obviously the team is competent, filled with A players) fully subsidized by Yahoo! shareholders. If I'm missing out on something I'd love to know about it.
- barredo 14y ago
  How can we all know if Stamped was failing? Care to share?
  - webwright 14y ago
    Here's how they've done: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s4/sh/80502dd0-c6d7-49f2-9a8c-70b0d627b475/23b563603f74a06ad3832d38357b4963 https://www.evernote.com/shard/s4/sh/80502dd0-c6d7-49f2-9a8c... Definitely not a mobile success-- but they built pretty, intuitive, usable software that didn't break.
    - dave1619 14y ago
      Yeah, the chart tells the story. I think they had a difficult time picking up traction. They did a kind of pivot recently when they added the ability to stamp books, music, TV, movies, iOS apps, etc. But when I used the app it was confusing and scattered. I read a blog post by MG Siegler about Stamped a few months ago (http://parislemon.com/post/28144863354/stamped-is-it-worthy http://parislemon.com/post/28144863354/stamped-is-it-worthy), but didn't buy his enthusiasm. Stamped seemed like too difficult of a concept/activity for the masses to understand and too broadly marketed for early adopters to get really excited.
- webwright 14y ago
  Way to add to the conversation. Hiring your "buddies" is WAY lower risk that acqui-hiring strangers. They are a known quantity AND they have enough loyalty that they probably won't bolt the instant they are able. They'll also probably work harder for you than the average acquihire. This is how the world works-- and it makes sense. It isn't just bullshit "who you know rather than what you know". Moral of the story is that you should kick ass, work hard, and make friends with executives-- it'll give you an alternative to startup-death when YOUR startup fails.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - samstave 14y ago
    >It isn't just bullshit "who you know rather than what you know". I dont believe in your assessment.
  - iand 14y ago
    All you say is correct, even down to the "it's who you know line", but I disagree that we should exploit it or even tolerate it. It's just Cronyism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronyism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronyism) and my personal moral compass rejects it.
    - adamzochowski 14y ago
      Cronyism is when one hires useless people just because they are beneficial for your own sake, not for the collective good. Wikipedia agrees "" The practice of favoritism based on relationships and connections - rather than someone who demonstrates top credentials and well-suited experience "". The main question then becomes, were they hired more for relationship and connection or because of their credentials and experience?
      - iand 14y ago
        Cronyism says nothing about the skills of the people. They may well be the best people for the role. It merely means they were chosen on the basis of relationship.
- majani 14y ago
  I've began to think of late that this may be the most prevalent market inefficiency in the world. Hiring people you know without due process is a big reason for the incompetence that creeps into companies after a while. This means that consistently hiring objectively while following due process could be considered a competitive advantage.
- majani 14y ago
  I've began to think of late that this may be the most prevalent market inefficiency in the world. Hiring people you know without due process is a big reason for the incompetence that creeps into companies after a while. This means that consistently hiring objectively while following due process could be considered a competitive advantage.
- nicholassmith 14y ago
  Well, they were failing in terms of user traction and numbers yes, but the app itself was really nice to use, well designed and will give Yahoo a nice iOS developer talent pool to work with. Buying a successful iPhone app start up would have been way more expensive.
- codeonfire 14y ago
  The very first thing I though when reading this was one or all of these guys were former Google APMs.
lincolnq 14y ago
Stamped was an awesome (and beautiful) product. Sad to see it go.
- phodo 14y ago
  As an alternative, I created wishtunes.com plus iOS app a few years ago back in 2009. Check it out. Happy to provide coupons so you don't have to pay for it.
snuze 14y ago
Congratulations to the Stamped team and good luck to Yahoo. On another topic, has anyone else noticed Marissa's hands in that photo?
- bluetidepro 14y ago
  > "On another topic, has anyone else noticed Marissa's hands in that photo?" WHAT THE. Here is a zoomed in screenshot: http://bluetide.pro/j6ch http://bluetide.pro/j6ch - What the heck is going on there? Bad Photoshop?
  - cpeterso 14y ago
    Wristwatch too tight?
  - ktsmith 14y ago
    The screwed up fingers are probably bad photoshopping/artifacts around the rings she wears on her left hand.
- rglovejoy 14y ago
  She had a baby just a few weeks ago.
- absconditus 14y ago
  Why must this stupid shit appear on HN as well now?
reinhardt 14y ago
What's up with this infatuation with Marissa Mayer? I don't remember reading about "Mark Zuckerberg acquiring Instagram" or "Steve Ballmer buying Yammer". Sheesh. EDIT: Wow that was quick, three downvotes in less than five minutes. Must have missed the memo that she's the new Steve Jobs, or something.
- dangrossman 14y ago
  Practically all the coverage of the Instagram acquisition was centered around Zuckerberg personally. As a new CEO, her first actions bear close scrutiny, the same way Mark's did when his company was about to go public. It's not some special infatuation with Mayer specifically. The headlines from back then: * The Instagram Deal: A Mark Zuckerberg Production [NYTimes.com] * Zuckerberg did $1 billion Instagram deal on his own [CNET] * With Instagram Buy, Mark Zuckerberg Shifts Facebook Into Acquisition Mode [Forbes] * Mark Zuckerberg Announces Instagram Acquisition By Facebook [Huffington Post] * Instagram Was Mark Zuckerberg's Last Hurrah as Facebook's Hacker King [The Atlantic]
- TallGuyShort 14y ago
  Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Ballmer didn't take the helm at dying companies with the expectation that they alone would lead a significant change. Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg have always been fairly synonymous. Yahoo and Marissa Meyer - not so.
  - stevoski 14y ago
    Dying company? How so?
- hellmans 14y ago
  Many Google detractors (largely composed of fans of Apple, for what that's worth) see Mayer as, bizarrely, the anti-GOOG. They think she's going to open a second front on Google while somehow being universally aligned with Apple. Bizarre, but there you have it. The people who are interested in / cheering for Mayer will almost always be carrying an iPhone.
kurtvarner 14y ago
Stamp's blog post about the deal: http://stamped.com/learn-more http://stamped.com/learn-more
mlchild 14y ago
Stamped was a very well-designed, well-thought-out app, but its failure to take off proves no one has cracked the "anti-yelp" recommendation app yet. Someone's going to figure it out.
smegel 14y ago
It's great they are putting mobile at the forefront of their strategic direction. I don't think Yahoo's web presence can be salvaged - they have just fallen too far behind Google, Facebook, and the multitude of other leading social platforms. But mobile is a chance for Yahoo to reset it's identity, it's brand, it's UI, it's relationship to users. It has a chance to become cool again.
- amorphid 14y ago
  That doesn't have to be true. It's still quite possible to build a website that grows to be huge. Although I would agree it's unlikely someone will build a portal-style site that displaces a Facebook or Google.
stevewilhelm 14y ago
Wondering why a talented group of developers that left one large Silicon Valley-based search company to form a startup would work for another large Silicon Valley search/media company.

72 points by kine 14y ago

revelation 14y ago

Great. Hiring your buddies by acquihiring their failing iPhone app startup.

cloudwalking 14y ago
If you need really good iOS devs this is an effective way to get them.
- codeonfire 14y ago
  The founders don't appear to be devs, one guy is a product manager, another started his career as a tech manager. The other worked on "partnerships and marketing". Quoting crunchbase here. If I were a formed stamped dev and now a Yahoo dev, I would quit Yahoo and form a startup. After all, Yahoo bought their work for lots of money.
cpeterso 14y ago
Acquihiring startups is probably easier than convincing good developers to join Yahoo.
- 001sky 14y ago
  Just in a different form: $$$ is the great convincer. -- The market
nswans 14y ago
You sound bitter. If you've used the product, you can see that it was beautiful, usable, and the performance was solid. If we assume that the product is failing (even though they've raised two rounds of funding from seasoned and celebrity investors alike), we know that the team can execute well. Mayer wants to move to mobile-first, so acqui-hiring a team who know how to build well for mobile can be a smart move. It may also attract talent who respects that team. Perhaps Stamped wasn't growing like they planned, but I'm sure they and Mayer think that with the right direction at Yahoo they can do great things. Who knows if it will work out. But it seems like a solid partnership for both sides.
- jlarocco 14y ago
  Ha! I'm inclined to agree that their product was doing well simply because it was discontinued immediately after Yahoo bought them. Isn't killing successful products what Yahoo is known for?
  - jemfinch 14y ago
    This type of snarky comment diminishes the level of discourse here. Please stop making them, and please encourage others to stop making them.
    - samstave 14y ago
      Your comment is far more meta than the OP, he makes a claim that Yahoo has propensity for killing acquired services... that's germane to the subject of this thread, yours is not...
      - jemfinch 14y ago
        "Meta"ness is not a problem here. Rudeness is. Comments like mine are necessary if the level of discourse is to remain higher here than other sites. Comments like the OP's are not.
- phillmv 14y ago
  raising funds != success What was that comparison? No one says, "congratulations on that huge loan you just took out!". I'm sure the team was great, but I'm confused as to why we should be lauding this state of affairs. If they were making money, then why should they all have up and left to go work at Yahoo!? From the, admittedly poor on information and high on snark, position I'm comfortably seated on it seems like you had a great team that was wonderfully subsidized by VC that managed to save face with an 'exit'. I'm sure it's really fun to go through the motions, but I don't really see the part where they added value; I only see an elaborate social signaling event (again, obviously the team is competent, filled with A players) fully subsidized by Yahoo! shareholders. If I'm missing out on something I'd love to know about it.
barredo 14y ago
How can we all know if Stamped was failing? Care to share?
- webwright 14y ago
  Here's how they've done: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s4/sh/80502dd0-c6d7-49f2-9a8c-70b0d627b475/23b563603f74a06ad3832d38357b4963 https://www.evernote.com/shard/s4/sh/80502dd0-c6d7-49f2-9a8c... Definitely not a mobile success-- but they built pretty, intuitive, usable software that didn't break.
  - dave1619 14y ago
    Yeah, the chart tells the story. I think they had a difficult time picking up traction. They did a kind of pivot recently when they added the ability to stamp books, music, TV, movies, iOS apps, etc. But when I used the app it was confusing and scattered. I read a blog post by MG Siegler about Stamped a few months ago (http://parislemon.com/post/28144863354/stamped-is-it-worthy http://parislemon.com/post/28144863354/stamped-is-it-worthy), but didn't buy his enthusiasm. Stamped seemed like too difficult of a concept/activity for the masses to understand and too broadly marketed for early adopters to get really excited.
webwright 14y ago
Way to add to the conversation. Hiring your "buddies" is WAY lower risk that acqui-hiring strangers. They are a known quantity AND they have enough loyalty that they probably won't bolt the instant they are able. They'll also probably work harder for you than the average acquihire. This is how the world works-- and it makes sense. It isn't just bullshit "who you know rather than what you know". Moral of the story is that you should kick ass, work hard, and make friends with executives-- it'll give you an alternative to startup-death when YOUR startup fails.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- samstave 14y ago
  >It isn't just bullshit "who you know rather than what you know". I dont believe in your assessment.
- iand 14y ago
  All you say is correct, even down to the "it's who you know line", but I disagree that we should exploit it or even tolerate it. It's just Cronyism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronyism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronyism) and my personal moral compass rejects it.
  - adamzochowski 14y ago
    Cronyism is when one hires useless people just because they are beneficial for your own sake, not for the collective good. Wikipedia agrees "" The practice of favoritism based on relationships and connections - rather than someone who demonstrates top credentials and well-suited experience "". The main question then becomes, were they hired more for relationship and connection or because of their credentials and experience?
    - iand 14y ago
      Cronyism says nothing about the skills of the people. They may well be the best people for the role. It merely means they were chosen on the basis of relationship.
majani 14y ago
I've began to think of late that this may be the most prevalent market inefficiency in the world. Hiring people you know without due process is a big reason for the incompetence that creeps into companies after a while. This means that consistently hiring objectively while following due process could be considered a competitive advantage.
majani 14y ago
I've began to think of late that this may be the most prevalent market inefficiency in the world. Hiring people you know without due process is a big reason for the incompetence that creeps into companies after a while. This means that consistently hiring objectively while following due process could be considered a competitive advantage.
nicholassmith 14y ago
Well, they were failing in terms of user traction and numbers yes, but the app itself was really nice to use, well designed and will give Yahoo a nice iOS developer talent pool to work with. Buying a successful iPhone app start up would have been way more expensive.
codeonfire 14y ago
The very first thing I though when reading this was one or all of these guys were former Google APMs.

lincolnq 14y ago

Stamped was an awesome (and beautiful) product. Sad to see it go.

phodo 14y ago
As an alternative, I created wishtunes.com plus iOS app a few years ago back in 2009. Check it out. Happy to provide coupons so you don't have to pay for it.

snuze 14y ago

Congratulations to the Stamped team and good luck to Yahoo. On another topic, has anyone else noticed Marissa's hands in that photo?

bluetidepro 14y ago
> "On another topic, has anyone else noticed Marissa's hands in that photo?" WHAT THE. Here is a zoomed in screenshot: http://bluetide.pro/j6ch http://bluetide.pro/j6ch - What the heck is going on there? Bad Photoshop?
- cpeterso 14y ago
  Wristwatch too tight?
- ktsmith 14y ago
  The screwed up fingers are probably bad photoshopping/artifacts around the rings she wears on her left hand.
rglovejoy 14y ago
She had a baby just a few weeks ago.
absconditus 14y ago
Why must this stupid shit appear on HN as well now?

reinhardt 14y ago

What's up with this infatuation with Marissa Mayer? I don't remember reading about "Mark Zuckerberg acquiring Instagram" or "Steve Ballmer buying Yammer". Sheesh. EDIT: Wow that was quick, three downvotes in less than five minutes. Must have missed the memo that she's the new Steve Jobs, or something.

dangrossman 14y ago
Practically all the coverage of the Instagram acquisition was centered around Zuckerberg personally. As a new CEO, her first actions bear close scrutiny, the same way Mark's did when his company was about to go public. It's not some special infatuation with Mayer specifically. The headlines from back then: * The Instagram Deal: A Mark Zuckerberg Production [NYTimes.com] * Zuckerberg did $1 billion Instagram deal on his own [CNET] * With Instagram Buy, Mark Zuckerberg Shifts Facebook Into Acquisition Mode [Forbes] * Mark Zuckerberg Announces Instagram Acquisition By Facebook [Huffington Post] * Instagram Was Mark Zuckerberg's Last Hurrah as Facebook's Hacker King [The Atlantic]
TallGuyShort 14y ago
Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Ballmer didn't take the helm at dying companies with the expectation that they alone would lead a significant change. Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg have always been fairly synonymous. Yahoo and Marissa Meyer - not so.
- stevoski 14y ago
  Dying company? How so?
hellmans 14y ago
Many Google detractors (largely composed of fans of Apple, for what that's worth) see Mayer as, bizarrely, the anti-GOOG. They think she's going to open a second front on Google while somehow being universally aligned with Apple. Bizarre, but there you have it. The people who are interested in / cheering for Mayer will almost always be carrying an iPhone.

kurtvarner 14y ago

Stamp's blog post about the deal: http://stamped.com/learn-more http://stamped.com/learn-more

mlchild 14y ago

Stamped was a very well-designed, well-thought-out app, but its failure to take off proves no one has cracked the "anti-yelp" recommendation app yet. Someone's going to figure it out.

smegel 14y ago

It's great they are putting mobile at the forefront of their strategic direction. I don't think Yahoo's web presence can be salvaged - they have just fallen too far behind Google, Facebook, and the multitude of other leading social platforms. But mobile is a chance for Yahoo to reset it's identity, it's brand, it's UI, it's relationship to users. It has a chance to become cool again.

amorphid 14y ago
That doesn't have to be true. It's still quite possible to build a website that grows to be huge. Although I would agree it's unlikely someone will build a portal-style site that displaces a Facebook or Google.

stevewilhelm 14y ago

Wondering why a talented group of developers that left one large Silicon Valley-based search company to form a startup would work for another large Silicon Valley search/media company.