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Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders
281–290 of 372 posts
Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders
#282Apple should port Messages app to Android and other platforms, this is a great opportunity for them to capitalize on. It is unlikely though, as the strategy is to get people to buy iPhones to get Messages.
I just don’t see the "why". It would be a purely US feature, and would have limited appeal even there. iMessage on android isn’t going to sell any more iPhones, and I can’t see how it’s going to meaningfully change people’s behaviour. Everywhere else in the world just doesn’t use iMessage.
Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders
#283> "Small cultural disagreements between the two staffs also popped up, involving issues such as noise around the office and the size of WhatsApp’s desks and bathrooms, that took on greater significance as the split between the parent company and its acquisition persisted." ^^ coupled with a photo of outrageously poor open-plan office space. This is just insane. Like, executives should be ashamed of themselves if they…
I'm a former fb employee, and to say that they "turn your work life into a micromanagement panopticon" is way off. Overall it's a great place to work as a software engineer, although it depends a lot on your team. Many employees have minor frustrations with various things like open plan offices, oversubscribed bathrooms, lack of parking, etc. I suppose there must be some employees who quit because of these sorts of issues, but I've never met any. For most people who work there it's a fantastic opportunity. From what I saw, people quit for the same reasons people quit any company: Burnout, bad relationship with direct manager, or desire to move on to something new.
Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders
#284Earlier 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).
I doubt that 78% of Facebook subscribers had money just burning a hole in their pocket. Advertising is just borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.
How do you think capitalism works?
Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders
#285Earlier quoted context omitted.
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'm torn on this one. One the one hand I would love that extra privacy. On the other, I really value knowing if someone is in the stall next to me and how many people are in the bathroom. If the stalls extend to the ground how am I supposed to scan for legs? Someone could be hiding in there waiting to frighten me! I cannot use the bathroom until everyone has left it. Just how am I supposed to verify that some quick-f…
> how am I supposed to verify that some quick-footed coworker hasn't made their way in during someone's loud flush
Most places with full-coverage stall doors also have occupancy indicators on the outside - if you go in and lock the door, it changes from green to red.
Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders
#286Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders
#287I'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…
Zuckerberg is almost single-handedly responsible for the downward spiral that the internet has been on ever since Facebook. He has never respected anybody's privacy or rights. The internet would have been a better place without him. He's to the internet what Trump is to the White House... Just ignores all norms and unwritten rules for his own profit, and causes permanent damage in the process.
The only solution is to take the unwritten rules and write them down
Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders
#288Earlier quoted context omitted.
The most frustrating change for me was FB (or Messenger later) used to send me an email when I received a message, with the message content inside the email. A few years ago they removed the content from the email and forced me to log into FB or Messenger to see the message. It's extremely user hostile.
They won’t even let you view messages on the mobile website either. Instead they restrict that and force you to install the Messenger app. Yelp does the same thing and feels just as scummy of a tactic. Basically both companies try to force you to install an app you don’t actually need so they can mine your contacts and personal data. No thanks to your tricks and traps business model.
Last I tried, mbasic.facebook.com would let you look at messages on the mobile web.
Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders
#289Earlier quoted context omitted.
> objective, widely agreed-upon definitions for poverty No, there aren’t; this is a political line that doesn’t make any sense at all. This is why “livable wage” is a phrase: just getting above the poverty line does not imply you can live on your income. The poverty line is pegged too low to be meaningful, at least here in US.
Like everything that exists in the real world, it doesn't have to be perfect.
...right, but if you don't care about how accurate it is, the value of distinguishing people is questionable.
Re: Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders
#290Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why is everyone doing business with a black and white strategy? On one extreme, everything is free and funded by selling user information and on the other extreme, everthing is free but funded by donation. What is wrong with 2$/year model? Everyone (I mean truly everyone) is willing to pay that.
Messaging apps, like social media services need your friends to be on the platform for it to be useful. If you start putting friction into that process then the services are instantly not useful. Everyone of your friends that doesn't join makes that thing much less useful for you. You say "everyone" is willing to pay that. I'll tell people about an amazing app that solves their problems they are complaining about and…
Would agree with your sentiment, but Whatsapp itself is an example of a messaging service that relied on their 1$/year model and had around 200 million active users before it went free.