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Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders

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Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders

#151

Post by 4ad »

jshen wrote: post #127
ChuckMcM wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the past the function of the "phone company" was a paid for service which provided for your communication needs. You didn't have to listen to ads before you could talk to your friends but you did occasionally get unwanted calls. This medium reached people rich and poor, all around the world. The challenge here is greed. One of the interesting topics in economics is the ability to subvert the supply-demand curve by…

I don’t know how old you are, but phone calls were really expensive in the decades before 2000. It’s not something low income people could afford to do very often.

Phone calls were expensive because telcos were (still are) a monopoly. Phone calls got cheaper only because they eventually got competition from VOIP-like solutions.

Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders

#152

Post by ttroyr »

RandallBrown wrote: post #123
cma wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine how useful it would be if when there is a notification about a friend on Facebook, you could peek it by swiping on the notification in the android drawer like you can with texts, without entering the Facebook app. Nope. Engineers are dedicated there to increasing other things than the utility of the app. Interests aren't aligned with the users. Same with removing chronological feeds. Turn things more and more…

What do you mean by peeking at the notification?

When you've got a notification on your smartphone drawer and you tap or slide down on the notification to see the beginning message contents.

Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders

#153

Post by redditmigrant »

neogodless wrote: post #96
cm2012 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook ads genuinely add value though. 78% of randomly polled US consumers discovered a new product that interested them on Facebook: https://image.slidesharecdn.com/internettrendsreport2018-180... (From Mary Meeker's 2018 report).

Just because someone is convinced to part with their money does not mean they meaningfully added value to their life. Certainly generates value for Facebook and retail, though.

If they themselves say they discovered a product that they were interested in, how is that not value addition? Value isnt defined in your advertising free ivory tower.

Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders

#154

Post by matheusmoreira »

rm999 wrote: post #57

I've had a tremendous amount of respect for Mark Zuckerberg as a leader, and have gone out of my way to defend him in the past ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17128369 ). I always envisioned whatsapp as a defensive purchase that would stay true to its initial vision (perhaps being used to prop up their other products in an unintrusive manner). But this article makes me realize Mark is s a one-trick advertising…

This is why blocking ads is pretty much a moral imperative. People should block ads until we no longer have to put up with business models such as "let's shove our sponsored content down their throats".

Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders

#155

Post by hueving »

rm999 wrote: post #57

I've had a tremendous amount of respect for Mark Zuckerberg as a leader, and have gone out of my way to defend him in the past ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17128369 ). I always envisioned whatsapp as a defensive purchase that would stay true to its initial vision (perhaps being used to prop up their other products in an unintrusive manner). But this article makes me realize Mark is s a one-trick advertising…

Isn't it it equivalent of every road having ads, which is basically the case in the US (billboards)?

A tollbooth is an access fee, which is the opposite model of ad revenue.

Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders

#156

Post by gaius »

mycorrhizal wrote: post #72
rm999 wrote: post #57

I've had a tremendous amount of respect for Mark Zuckerberg as a leader, and have gone out of my way to defend him in the past ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17128369 ). I always envisioned whatsapp as a defensive purchase that would stay true to its initial vision (perhaps being used to prop up their other products in an unintrusive manner). But this article makes me realize Mark is s a one-trick advertising…

Maybe I'm just not creative enough, but what is a better alternative? Let's say you have a subscriber model, but than what kind of world will it be where only the wealthy have access to these communication technologies and access to social information. Or you have a hybrid ad model with the ability to opt out by paying some fee. Than what kind of world will that be when privacy is a luxury item limited to how much yo…

Let's say you have a subscriber model, but than what kind of world will it be where only the wealthy have access to these communication technologies and access to social information.

This is a strawman. I give you Usenet and IRC as counter examples.

Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders

#157

Post by young_unixer »

rm999 wrote: post #57

I've had a tremendous amount of respect for Mark Zuckerberg as a leader, and have gone out of my way to defend him in the past ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17128369 ). I always envisioned whatsapp as a defensive purchase that would stay true to its initial vision (perhaps being used to prop up their other products in an unintrusive manner). But this article makes me realize Mark is s a one-trick advertising…

It's good to separate the fact that he's a good leader from the fact that facebook does harm in some ways.

Hitler was a great leader too.

Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders

#158

Post by ohtwenty »

Djvacto wrote: post #9

So, I use WhatsApp as my primary source of communication. Knowing facebook owned it always made me a little nervous, but given that it was end-to-end encrypted, I figured Facebook wasn't getting any more from me then they would from all my facebook-using-friends who would send me SMS's before. But I'm worried about how long I can continue to use the service moving forward, which is sad as this is my main way to commu…

Wrt changing to signal, just say 'it got an update' and switch it out to where the icon used to be. Provided the rest of your family switched it shouldn't be too difficult

Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders

#159

Post by stock_toaster »

ttul wrote: post #119
juhq wrote: post #97

"WhatsApp also negotiated for nicer bathrooms, with doors that reach the floor." This is not a norm in silicon valley/states?

I have never understood why North American bathroom stalls don’t just go to the floor. Jesus Christ how much would it really cost to enable some damn privacy.

I always assumed it was to make it easier to mop/clean.

Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders

#160

Post by FigmentEngine »

nafey wrote: post #135
FigmentEngine wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I moved to Signal after the whole brexit/us election saga. open source and not run by an advertising company

I have been hearing a lot of good things about signal... How are their servers paid for though if it's a free service?

"supported by grants and donations" according to their site.
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