[Many respectable technologists said that they weren't going to stand for this -- partly because it was a debasement of technology, but mostly because they didn't get invited to those sort of funding series]
I have no problem with snapchat the app. I think it is dumb, and don't enjoy using it, but that doesn't mean that it shouldn't exist.
What I do have a problem with is Snapchat being put on a pedestal, and perpetuating the SV cash grab business model. Get a bunch of users with a trendy app, data mine the shit out of them, and serve them ads until the app folds. There is no lasting value, and it is just the kind of rampant speculation that collapsed our industry in the past.
Yeah, that cash grab model sure didn't work out for Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, etc. Good thing those finally failed due to the complete lack of value being provided and their associated pesky ad-based business models /s.
That's one of the reasons they are so valuable - data. Data is so valuable to companies - it gives them insight into how consumers behave. Gett Taxi just raised $300M from Volkswagen and it's not because of their tech. It's because they have data on how urban residents move and travel. Google released TensorFlow and gave everyone access to easy to use and super advanced neural nets and they do this because it's not actually their algorithms that give them their competitive edge - it's their data. More data beats a clever algorithm every time.
You've made a negative comment in nearly every thread on this post - do you really hate Snapchat that much? Do you not see how some people might enjoy using it?
reply