petegrif

18 ms·

151.
by petegrif 14y ago
If true this would be of phenomenal benefit and this alone could boost the economies of whole regions of Africa.
152.
by petegrif 14y ago
Yeah. I am a huge fan of Ben. He has done brilliant insightful post after brilliant insightful such post. And there is undoubtedly an important point being made. But the way the story is told is incredibly patronizing. I hope this was s
153.
by petegrif 14y ago
I love this :)
154.
by petegrif 14y ago
Good lord. There really are some strange angry people out there.
155.
by petegrif 14y ago
I don't think that the key message is that FB's negotiating tactics are surprising. Whilst he was certainly surprised the point is surely that he was shocked because their behavior at the meeting was so at variance with what he had previou
156.
by petegrif 14y ago
True. The point however is to understand how to quantify the risk. The complicating factor in this case is surely the fact that he had received explicit assurances that his development was welcome and would be supported. The thing I don't
157.
by petegrif 14y ago
I understand. My bad. On my original reading I thought he was suggesting the startup should have cannabilistic cash flow. Whereas he is indeed meaning that to competitively respond the incumbent will have to cannabilize his own cash flow.
158.
by petegrif 14y ago
Scott if I read you correctly I think this is a profound misunderstanding of how to potentially build a viable business on a platform. Let's examine two extremes. a) dev builds software on the platform that doesn't disrupt the platforms eco
159.
by petegrif 14y ago
There only is one sure strategy for avoiding the potential steamroller of the platform company. Don't build on the platform.
160.
by petegrif 14y ago
Excellent advice. I am not sure it is addressing my concerns with the OP. Perhaps you could clarify for me?
161.
by petegrif 14y ago
These are indeed all great examples of a differentiated strategy. But I am at a loss to understand quite how they help us parse the OP's para re a cannabilistic cash flow.
162.
by petegrif 14y ago
Scott - you say "It’s incumbent on you (and certainly also me) to make sure that we’re starting businesses in segments that actually require a new entrant and can not be filled by aproduct line extension from an incumbent. Whether or not th
163.
by petegrif 14y ago
That's not quite true tho is it? FB does offer something it represents as being a platform. And bear in mind that he didn't just blindly build a product assuming that he could trust the platform. He solicited and continually received ass
164.
by petegrif 14y ago
Very understandable.
165.
by petegrif 14y ago
I don't think you have been reading the source material closely. It wasn't the case they suddenly realized. They knew about his product. They had encouraged him to build it.
166.
by petegrif 14y ago
I guess that judgement depends upon the degree to which you receive credible assurances that you feel you can rely on. You have been bitten by Don Dodge and are now twice shy. Doubtless DC will be doubly cautious in the future. I am sure
167.
by petegrif 14y ago
Absolutely right. The only difference between alleged platforms is how the platform owners treat their devs. All platform companies face the same issues of balancing developer trust and the ensuing added value and their own strategic impera
168.
by petegrif 14y ago
If you can't provide any stability and predictability for outside devs you shouldn't represent yourself as a platform. It's ridiculous to pretend othewise. A platform HAS TO BE STABLE. It HAS TO OFFER TRUST.
169.
by petegrif 14y ago
Well said.
170.
by petegrif 14y ago
Which is his point.
171.
by petegrif 14y ago
You think expecting a company to behave is naive? What a depressing statement. Doubtless true but what a revealing and totally awful thing to take for granted. So now we live in a world in which not only are corporations people (thank you
172.
by petegrif 14y ago
This is great. Completely agree. He believes this to be an oft repeated cycle in which the small guys get hurt because they are suckered in to develop on a platform. Because whilst the platform is augmented by the added value such develo
173.
by petegrif 14y ago
I agree. I think this is the culmination of a lot of thinking that started with his experience with the music business.
174.
by petegrif 14y ago
IMHO - smart reply. This is indeed the essence of DC's point.
175.
by petegrif 14y ago
Exactly. It is a breach of faith that goes to the heart of what a platform is supposed to be.
176.
by petegrif 14y ago
I don't think so. I'm English and so consider myself well versed in sarcasm. This isn't sarcasm.
177.
by petegrif 14y ago
The point is not what he may have been 'trying' to describe. Rudeness is not necessarily about substance. It is about expression. He could have expressed himself in many ways. He chose to do so in terminology that was patronizing and ru
178.
by petegrif 14y ago
No. It's just rude.
179.
by petegrif 14y ago
Seems to me that you are missing the key point. If FB did not declare itself a platform...if it had not encouraged others to build on its platform...if it had not encouraged DC to build his product on this platform...then you would be right
180.
by petegrif 14y ago
Having a bunch of software is one thing. Representing yourself as a platform is something very different. A platform a representation that you are providing a set of services on which others can safely build. It is a form of contract. And

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