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But 37signals closed Breeze because it didn't hit a critical mass of customers. Google can't say the same thing about many cough Reader cough of the products th

But 37signals closed Breeze because it didn't hit a critical mass of customers. Google can't say the same thing about many cough Reader cough of the products they close down. That's why Google gets ripped to shreds.

MartinMond 13y ago
I believe the number of customers necessary for reaching "critical mass" is different for Google than for 37signals than for a new SaaS company that just started out. Also Breeze had customers (that paid for it) while Google Reader had users that got it for free.
smackfu 13y ago
It's not about critical mass, it's about profitability, for both companies.
- jbigelow76 13y ago
  That's not necessarily true for either company. Remember when 37signals sold Sortfolio to focus more on core products? Sortfolio made over $200K in profit in a years time[1]. And Google made no attempt to monetize Reader at all so they can't say it was only about profitability. Companies make strategic decisions all the time even at the expense of profit when warranted. [1] http://37signals.com/svn/posts/3172-sortfolio-going-once-going-twice http://37signals.com/svn/posts/3172-sortfolio-going-once-goi...
  - dylangs1030 13y ago
    Yes, but profitability also delineates users from customers. One will naturally get more attention than another. Comparing Google Reader to 37signals' Breeze is comparing apples to oranges, and it's not fair to subsequently conclude Google didn't do everything it could when it gave a longer sunset, but no alternatives. That's the one thing they didn't do, and their users were free.
    - jbigelow76 13y ago
      Google keeping Reader free wasn't an act of altruism, at least not as far as I'm concerned. I think it gave them the kind of cover they needed to shutter it when Reader ceased to be useful. G even resisted monetizing after large numbers of users begged them to take their money and make a viable business out of it. Reader was never a product, it was a strategy. 37S saw Breeze only as a product to live and die on it's own merits (even if some customers really loved it). Google saw Reader as a product to manipulate the market (if you subscribe to that theory). This is why I think Google deserves to get ripped while 37signals shouldn't, even if Reader only had "users" and not "customers".
_pmf_ 13y ago
For 32signals, critical mass is above several thousands of users. For Google, critical mass is above a hundred million users.
- Kiro 13y ago
  *36signals
  - dylangs1030 13y ago
    *37signals ...not sure if you were joking though.

MartinMond 13y ago

I believe the number of customers necessary for reaching "critical mass" is different for Google than for 37signals than for a new SaaS company that just started out. Also Breeze had customers (that paid for it) while Google Reader had users that got it for free.

smackfu 13y ago

It's not about critical mass, it's about profitability, for both companies.

jbigelow76 13y ago
That's not necessarily true for either company. Remember when 37signals sold Sortfolio to focus more on core products? Sortfolio made over $200K in profit in a years time[1]. And Google made no attempt to monetize Reader at all so they can't say it was only about profitability. Companies make strategic decisions all the time even at the expense of profit when warranted. [1] http://37signals.com/svn/posts/3172-sortfolio-going-once-going-twice http://37signals.com/svn/posts/3172-sortfolio-going-once-goi...
- dylangs1030 13y ago
  Yes, but profitability also delineates users from customers. One will naturally get more attention than another. Comparing Google Reader to 37signals' Breeze is comparing apples to oranges, and it's not fair to subsequently conclude Google didn't do everything it could when it gave a longer sunset, but no alternatives. That's the one thing they didn't do, and their users were free.
  - jbigelow76 13y ago
    Google keeping Reader free wasn't an act of altruism, at least not as far as I'm concerned. I think it gave them the kind of cover they needed to shutter it when Reader ceased to be useful. G even resisted monetizing after large numbers of users begged them to take their money and make a viable business out of it. Reader was never a product, it was a strategy. 37S saw Breeze only as a product to live and die on it's own merits (even if some customers really loved it). Google saw Reader as a product to manipulate the market (if you subscribe to that theory). This is why I think Google deserves to get ripped while 37signals shouldn't, even if Reader only had "users" and not "customers".

_pmf_ 13y ago

For 32signals, critical mass is above several thousands of users. For Google, critical mass is above a hundred million users.

Kiro 13y ago
*36signals
- dylangs1030 13y ago
  *37signals ...not sure if you were joking though.