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That's splendid news! I firmly believe that it is consumer apps, and consumer apps alone, that can give blazing home runs like this one. Despite the risk, num

That's splendid news! I firmly believe that it is consumer apps, and consumer apps alone, that can give blazing home runs like this one. Despite the risk, numerous deaths, blood and corpses all over the place. Somehow valley since last September had been running after enterprise junk but that's not where the gems lie (My opinion of course!). There is money in enterprise but no home run possible over there. Edit: I like the way the edited title of this thread: Facebook (whatsapp.com).

k-mcgrady 13y ago
It depends what you consider a 'home run'. I consider building a sustainable business that will generate revenue and create products for the next 10/20/30 years a home run. I would consider building an app, having no business model (admittedly Whatsapp app was generating revenue although I doubt it was much), and being lucky enough to get acquired by a company willing to pay stupid amounts of money to kill a competitor and keep you away from other competitors the furthest thing from a home run.
- scg 13y ago
  "the furthest"? :) Really, that's "the furthest thing" from a home run that you could think of?
- monsterix 13y ago
  Agreed. But a home run for most VCs would likely be 10X+ return stories than a revenue generating machine that would mature up in 10+ years.
- shawabawa3 13y ago
  > admittedly Whatsapp app was generating revenue although I doubt it was much I imagine they made ~$100m last year (400m active users, I'm guessing 100m of which using for more than a year), which is almost guaranteed to go up. For a company with ~50 employees how is that not sustainable?
- dualogy 13y ago
  > It depends what you consider a 'home run'. I consider building a sustainable business that will generate revenue and create products for the next 10/20/30 years a home run. 10/20/30 years? Look those aren't the days of Henry Ford or J.D.Rockefeller.. tech is changing ever-faster at an exponential rate. You wanna create products for 30 years, none of which will live on their own much longer than 3-4 years (if lucky/successful in their market) because everything is constantly changing? I agree: flipping a messenger toy to FB is a "lottery win", but "a sustainable business that will generate revenue" for 30 years, what is that supposed to be in today's environment? That's a bit of a pipe dream too, just the "nobler" one.

k-mcgrady 13y ago

It depends what you consider a 'home run'. I consider building a sustainable business that will generate revenue and create products for the next 10/20/30 years a home run. I would consider building an app, having no business model (admittedly Whatsapp app was generating revenue although I doubt it was much), and being lucky enough to get acquired by a company willing to pay stupid amounts of money to kill a competitor and keep you away from other competitors the furthest thing from a home run.

scg 13y ago
"the furthest"? :) Really, that's "the furthest thing" from a home run that you could think of?
monsterix 13y ago
Agreed. But a home run for most VCs would likely be 10X+ return stories than a revenue generating machine that would mature up in 10+ years.
shawabawa3 13y ago
> admittedly Whatsapp app was generating revenue although I doubt it was much I imagine they made ~$100m last year (400m active users, I'm guessing 100m of which using for more than a year), which is almost guaranteed to go up. For a company with ~50 employees how is that not sustainable?
dualogy 13y ago
> It depends what you consider a 'home run'. I consider building a sustainable business that will generate revenue and create products for the next 10/20/30 years a home run. 10/20/30 years? Look those aren't the days of Henry Ford or J.D.Rockefeller.. tech is changing ever-faster at an exponential rate. You wanna create products for 30 years, none of which will live on their own much longer than 3-4 years (if lucky/successful in their market) because everything is constantly changing? I agree: flipping a messenger toy to FB is a "lottery win", but "a sustainable business that will generate revenue" for 30 years, what is that supposed to be in today's environment? That's a bit of a pipe dream too, just the "nobler" one.