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"Salesforce had a truly aspirational goal: to change the way enterprise software is delivered." If that's what counts as aspirational around here, I'm in the w

"Salesforce had a truly aspirational goal: to change the way enterprise software is delivered." If that's what counts as aspirational around here, I'm in the wrong job.

arethuza 12y ago
16 years ago when they were founded that was an aspirational goal for enterprise software and this is a CRM which a lot of organizations see as very critical to their ongoing success.
- smt88 12y ago
  I think what he means is that people should aspire to do more than lower costs for enterprise clients.
  - arethuza 12y ago
    It's not just about costs - it's about ease of provision, access (salespeople are out and about a lot so this is a huge deal), customizability, ease of integration etc. Salesforce were pretty courageous back in '99 basing their entire strategy around SaaS.
    - doyoulikeworms 12y ago
      I'm not trying to be snarky, but you just listed a bunch of costs.
      - codeulike 12y ago
        No, its a bunch of technical challenges that no-one had successfully tackled 16 years ago
AndrewKemendo 12y ago
If that's what counts as aspirational around here, I'm in the wrong job. Consider that one of the jobs most frequently posted on HN is for ZeroCater which seems to love the tagline that they are "help[ing] feed the world." In fact they exclusively deliver food truck meals to startups in SF & the Valley. Nothing wrong with that, but "feed the world" is beyond hyperbole. The "making the world a better place" statements of many startups is embarrassing. Silicon Valley parodied this trend best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXuFrtmOYKg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXuFrtmOYKg
- smt88 12y ago
  Facebook started as an online face book for Harvard students. Now, it obviously does much more. Personally, it keeps me up to date on the dozen or so people I really care about, but don't have the time to call/email every day. When I speak to those people, we don't have to waste time "catching up". For others, I'm sure it has many other life-changing, world-changing benefits. Maybe it's not ending wars or feeding the poor, but it can be a great scientific resource, emotional comfort, and organizing platform. They're also now working on delivering internet to lots of people, preventing suicide, and probably other stuff I don't know about. So don't judge ZeroCater's endgame when they're not even close. (All of this is coming from someone who hates frivolous Silicon Valley culture and would normally love to pile on. But in this case I really can't.)
  - resu_nimda 12y ago
    I'm not sure how Facebook is particularly relevant to ZeroCater. What about the thousands of companies that have died before they got anywhere near their endgame? Maybe their visions and strategies were flawed, and that was reflected in ridiculous mission statements and nonsense marketing copy about "changing the world." I don't think "they technically could become a big important company one day" is a reasonable defense or excuse from judgment. And, funnily enough, I don't remember Facebook ever talking about "changing the world" in its early days. It's hype, it's marketing bullshit, it's cliche, it's premature, and IMO it speaks to a lack of grounding and a focus on the wrong things.
brd 12y ago
Don't kid yourself, that is aspirational. The enterprise, for better or worse, dictates how much of the world functions. Improving the efficiency of those companies, empowering their employees, and empowering their customers is likely one of the shortest paths to world altering impact available. One of the people I respect most in this world has worked for SAP since the bubble and the only reason he's stayed is because he has yet to "find a bigger lever".

"Salesforce had a truly aspirational goal: to change the way enterprise software is delivered." If that's what counts as aspirational around here, I'm in the wrong job.

arethuza 12y ago

16 years ago when they were founded that was an aspirational goal for enterprise software and this is a CRM which a lot of organizations see as very critical to their ongoing success.

smt88 12y ago
I think what he means is that people should aspire to do more than lower costs for enterprise clients.
- arethuza 12y ago
  It's not just about costs - it's about ease of provision, access (salespeople are out and about a lot so this is a huge deal), customizability, ease of integration etc. Salesforce were pretty courageous back in '99 basing their entire strategy around SaaS.
  - doyoulikeworms 12y ago
    I'm not trying to be snarky, but you just listed a bunch of costs.
    - codeulike 12y ago
      No, its a bunch of technical challenges that no-one had successfully tackled 16 years ago

AndrewKemendo 12y ago

If that's what counts as aspirational around here, I'm in the wrong job. Consider that one of the jobs most frequently posted on HN is for ZeroCater which seems to love the tagline that they are "help[ing] feed the world." In fact they exclusively deliver food truck meals to startups in SF & the Valley. Nothing wrong with that, but "feed the world" is beyond hyperbole. The "making the world a better place" statements of many startups is embarrassing. Silicon Valley parodied this trend best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXuFrtmOYKg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXuFrtmOYKg

smt88 12y ago
Facebook started as an online face book for Harvard students. Now, it obviously does much more. Personally, it keeps me up to date on the dozen or so people I really care about, but don't have the time to call/email every day. When I speak to those people, we don't have to waste time "catching up". For others, I'm sure it has many other life-changing, world-changing benefits. Maybe it's not ending wars or feeding the poor, but it can be a great scientific resource, emotional comfort, and organizing platform. They're also now working on delivering internet to lots of people, preventing suicide, and probably other stuff I don't know about. So don't judge ZeroCater's endgame when they're not even close. (All of this is coming from someone who hates frivolous Silicon Valley culture and would normally love to pile on. But in this case I really can't.)
- resu_nimda 12y ago
  I'm not sure how Facebook is particularly relevant to ZeroCater. What about the thousands of companies that have died before they got anywhere near their endgame? Maybe their visions and strategies were flawed, and that was reflected in ridiculous mission statements and nonsense marketing copy about "changing the world." I don't think "they technically could become a big important company one day" is a reasonable defense or excuse from judgment. And, funnily enough, I don't remember Facebook ever talking about "changing the world" in its early days. It's hype, it's marketing bullshit, it's cliche, it's premature, and IMO it speaks to a lack of grounding and a focus on the wrong things.

brd 12y ago

Don't kid yourself, that is aspirational. The enterprise, for better or worse, dictates how much of the world functions. Improving the efficiency of those companies, empowering their employees, and empowering their customers is likely one of the shortest paths to world altering impact available. One of the people I respect most in this world has worked for SAP since the bubble and the only reason he's stayed is because he has yet to "find a bigger lever".