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Hi, HNers. I've been sitting on this link for about 4 years now. This post on Sitepoint is from shortly after Andrew Mason first pitched The Point, which late
by brandnewlow 14y ago
Hi, HNers. I've been sitting on this link for about 4 years now. This post on Sitepoint is from shortly after Andrew Mason first pitched The Point, which later became Groupon, to investors in Chicago.
On a day when folks are discussing the end of his time at Groupon...this link shows where it first began and the hopefulness and optimism that comes with a new project!
- newbie12 14y agoThe Point was nothing like Groupon! It was more of a goofy political/community action site. Social deals were a pivot as The Point failed.
- gojomo 14y agoBoth had a 'tipping point'/threshold mechanism, and IIRC some of ThePoint's early example scenarios were attempting to influence local businesses with the promise of coordinated patronage (or boycott). So distantly related, I think. ThePoint had a certain Hippie-Dippy earnest utopian vibe, while Groupon seemed to go 180" in the other direction, with mercenary/cynical sales/PR/accounting tactics. I've wondered if the stark contrast between the lack of uptake when ThePoint offered people the chance to "save the world!", and the exploding interest when Groupon offered "save half off!", helped rationalize the later anything-goes-to-make-a-buck ethos of Groupon.
- sachinag 14y agoI love you Brad. It's so good to have an actual journalist amongst our ranks.
- brandnewlow 14y agoMan, I miss reporting sometimes. Optimizing onboarding processes and answering support requests from Brazil are fun and all, but sharing new stuff with people is a real thrill.
- shortformblog 14y agoGreat find Brad! I bet a lot of startup founders have tracks like these lying around.