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Ask HN: Huge enterprise customer wants to see our source code

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Re: Ask HN: Huge enterprise customer wants to see our source code

#181

Post by heartbreak »

dogma1138 wrote: post #117
patio11 wrote: post #56

I think this is a signal that you're probably underpriced by a factor of 2X to 10X. So this is a sales objection. With regards to that justification, I'd want to know a) who in the business is generating it and b) what they expect to feed your answer into. Is this just somebody who wanted to sound smart in a meeting? Then they don't need your source code; they need ~5 nice PowerPoint slides and you're done. I'd be po…

I’m a security engineer at a large financial organization and we audit all 3rd party products most of these audits include a code review. This is a compliance process and it’s controlled by the SEC. All of your suggestions would make the company that I at least work for to simply walk away from table. This has happened more than once and all of our contracts contain a clause that if the application does not get a pas…

I’ve had a financial product audited by an independent firm the client and I agreed on. In fact they still audit it on a regular basis despite the product no longer being maintained.

Re: Ask HN: Huge enterprise customer wants to see our source code

#182

Post by XiZhao »

Majora320 wrote: post #151
kornish wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For companies interested in addressing licensing concerns before they balloon into real problems, FOSSA builds a platform which analyzes code and automates license disclosures and legal boilerplate: https://fossa.io/ Full disclosure: founder is a friend and all around great person.

I don't own a company, but I'd like to try this out myself. Is there any possibility of having a "personal" trial mode instead of having to enter a company name?

From team FOSSA here, you can put in anything for the company name -- or leave it blank!

Re: Ask HN: Huge enterprise customer wants to see our source code

#184

Post by kwisatzh »

I'd show my source code if I were you -- for one simple reason. Most data science teams in large enterprises suck. Even such teams have intellectual brain power, I can tell you with experience that they won't be able to achieve anything even if they have access to your code. Having a solution is a minor thing for an internal team.

Re: Ask HN: Huge enterprise customer wants to see our source code

#185

Post by aquadrop »

bonestamp2 wrote: post #108
nugget wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What exactly is the potential liability for a GPL violation? I've gone 12 rounds with IP lawyers over these theoretical violations (static vs dynamic links). But I found it odd that I could never find a single case of significant liability due to infringement. The nature of damages is unclear and the landscape of counter-parties (with an incentive to sue) is amorphous. It seemed like worst-case, a proven infringer ju…

> I found the legal community's focus on this area out of step with their otherwise well-measured calculations of risk and reward. That seems true with pretty much any legal area. But, it's not their job to calculate risk, it's their job to tell you what is legal. It's management's job to decide if they want to take the risk or take the legal advice.

I think it's 100% their job to calculate risks and inform about legal customs/expected outcomes around something in question.

Re: Ask HN: Huge enterprise customer wants to see our source code

#186

Post by kwisatzh »

I'd show my source code if I were you -- for one simple reason. Most data science teams in large enterprises suck. Even teams that have technical chops, I can tell you with experience that they won't be able to achieve anything even if they have access to your code. Having a solution is a minor thing for an internal team to push out a solution. You as a startup have more chances of success than an internal team. I'v been on both sides, multiple times and it's not even close.

Re: Ask HN: Huge enterprise customer wants to see our source code

#187

Post by throwaway613834 »

carapace wrote: post #141
hoodoof wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All business is a variation on this. If you're wanting to be a business person in a "nice" world where its not all about manipulation and sleight of hand then you can do that but you won't be mega successful. Read up on Bill Gates Windows license contracts that the hardware manufacturers had to sign .... genius. Truth is all in how you tell the story.

I remember the day a friend explained to me that MS Word, Internet Explorer, and MS Frontpage were the same DLL just with different entry points.

What? That seems both wrong and meaningless. You can compile as many programs as you want into a single DLL. Doesn't mean a thing.

Re: Ask HN: Huge enterprise customer wants to see our source code

#188

Post by ghostbrainalpha »

Is there such a thing as an "independent code review", I would be perfectly happy to give an independent auditor access to my source code???

They could verify it works, that it will preform at scale, and that it doesn't have security vulnerabilities. But I wouldn't want to show that source code to a client who would potentially build the same product themselves.

Re: Ask HN: Huge enterprise customer wants to see our source code

#189

Post by pacetherace »

If they require proof that your models are working, you should be able to show them simulations to that effect.

If it is a matter of due diligence, then it should be something that is discussed between your lawyers and the company's lawyers.

If this ask is coming from the engineering side of the company then that is a red flag.

You should also think of the impact in terms of acquiring other customers once you have opened a bit too much to this customer.

Re: Ask HN: Huge enterprise customer wants to see our source code

#190

Post by throwaway613834 »

vidarh wrote: post #122
tonystubblebine wrote: post #16

I want to plus one everyone saying no. All of their reasons make sense to me. In addition, I'd love to help your confidence with getting used to the idea that saying no is ok. I remember being in this situation many times and feeling like if we said no we'd lose the client and maybe go out of business. But truly, clients often ask for things that aren't very important to them and they will not mind being told that th…

Your no answers reminds me of an experiment I read about where they determined people were more likely to accept a request if you included pretty much any justification, even when totally self evident. E.g people are more likely to cut in line at the copier if you say 'can I cut in line, because I need to make a copy'. Even with an inane excuse like that (everyone else there also needs to make a copy) people are more…

To be honest I might be at the copy machine to make a copy but I might not actually need to make it then and there. I might be able to re-print it, or do it later. When someone tells me he needs to do that then I think maybe it's more urgent than mine. I wonder if there are subtleties like this that explain these in reality.
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