is there any evidence that the pivots actually "kill the golden goose"? facebook has a long history of making product changes that initially cause a lot of complaining from existing users.
they seem to be making a bet that existing users are addicted enough to the product that a change to it won't drive them away. and so far that seems to have worked for them.
Facebook's changes have taken a whole lot of users from "I am on here because it's useful and I actively like it" to "I am on here only because of inertia and network effects, but dislike it and will be happy when I can get rid of it"
May not have killed the golden goose yet, but they've sure sharpened the axe, stretched the neck over the block, and drawn a little X right in the middle.
There has been push back against the more algorithmic content they are pushing because it gets in the way of the post of people you follow. I use Instagram to follow some artists and design companies, and it's frustrating when every other post is not the people I follow, but some bad influencer vaguely related to your interests begging for likes and follows. Previously, they had suggested posts after you scrolled a bit or after you've caught up with everyone you follow.
they seem to be making a bet that existing users are addicted enough to the product that a change to it won't drive them away. and so far that seems to have worked for them.
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