Best comment: Bebo - from $850m to $10m. MySpace- from $580m to $35m. Who's next?
I think the difference is that NewsCorp made a billion plus in ad revenue from their deal with Google.
MySpace Acquired: Email From CEO Mike Jones To Employees
21–30 of 57 posts
Re: MySpace Acquired: Email From CEO Mike Jones To Employees
#22Knowing someone who was a contractor a few months ago at MySpace, I can tell you that the people that were there before the last major layoffs genuinely thought they were doing something awesome. When the first round of layoffs happened, during which the person I know was laid off, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the rest of the axe fell. So this should hardly be a surprise to the people at MySpace, who are still there only for the money, I suppose. This is hardly surprising, shocking, or scandalous, as MySpace was on a death march since News Corp acquired it.
Mike Jones sounds like he is probably going to lose his job too. What would anyone else say in his shoes? Probably the same thing.
Re: MySpace Acquired: Email From CEO Mike Jones To Employees
#23Best comment: Bebo - from $850m to $10m. MySpace- from $580m to $35m. Who's next?
Facebook, now that Google+ is here :P
I think Google+ made it so Myspace had to sell now--they've been bleeding money and users for a while now, and with one more challenger in the pit, they would have just bled out. I'm interested in seeing what the buyer actually has in mind for this company now though--It seems totally over, but inventive people always surprise me.
Re: MySpace Acquired: Email From CEO Mike Jones To Employees
#24As one of the employees brought on in the iLike acquisition, the price makes me laugh. And think, "Called it!" I could not get out of there fast enough.
Re: MySpace Acquired: Email From CEO Mike Jones To Employees
#25None of this matters. They basically just paid $0.50 per user for their data acquisition. That's a great deal!
exactly - Specific Media - an ad targeting firm - now owns 50 million user profiles - http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2710838
Re: MySpace Acquired: Email From CEO Mike Jones To Employees
#26A few thoughts on communication... Don't talk about "exciting plans" in one sentence, and "a series of restructuring initiatives, including a significant reduction in our workforce" in the next. Especially when you just worked your employees to the bone revamping your platform. Also, when you are announcing your company was sold for scrap, it is tone-deaf to gush about how it has been "the most engaging and challengi…
This isn't just a question of emotional insensitivity. Machiavelli's "The Prince" specifically warns against trying to mix bad news with good. Send the bad news out and put as much bad news as possible in one message. Then dole out the good news in dribbles.
So you start by saying almost everyone will be fired and the pension plan is bankrupt. Let that sink in. Then an email goes out saying that the executive team has discovered some funds and saved the pension plan. A day letter, good news, the TPS report Writing Team are keeping their jobs. And so forth.
There's only so much bad news people can take and then they just put it down as a bad news email whether there's goo dnews in there or not. Good news in that email is entirely wasted.
Re: MySpace Acquired: Email From CEO Mike Jones To Employees
#27Just FYI, we are hiring ex-Myspace developers at Leads360. We've hired four ex-Myspacers in the past six months. Our technology stack is similar, so the learning curve is only slight. And we have lots of interesting and challenging projects to do. Located in El Segundo; full-time local only.
If you got laid off or are ready to jump ship, then email Bill at bpaetzke@leads360.com.
Re: MySpace Acquired: Email From CEO Mike Jones To Employees
#28A few thoughts on communication... Don't talk about "exciting plans" in one sentence, and "a series of restructuring initiatives, including a significant reduction in our workforce" in the next. Especially when you just worked your employees to the bone revamping your platform. Also, when you are announcing your company was sold for scrap, it is tone-deaf to gush about how it has been "the most engaging and challengi…
This isn't just a question of emotional insensitivity. Machiavelli's "The Prince" specifically warns against trying to mix bad news with good. Send the bad news out and put as much bad news as possible in one message. Then dole out the good news in dribbles. So you start by saying almost everyone will be fired and the pension plan is bankrupt. Let that sink in. Then an email goes out saying that the executive team ha…
Interesting -- so not only does mixing good news with bad like this anger the recipients and cast doubt on the leader, it doesn't even accomplish anything.
And thanks for reminding me that I need to read that book.
Re: MySpace Acquired: Email From CEO Mike Jones To Employees
#29Best comment: Bebo - from $850m to $10m. MySpace- from $580m to $35m. Who's next?
I think the difference is that NewsCorp made a billion plus in ad revenue from their deal with Google.
I do not believe News Corp made any money from MySpace. If they did they would not be selling it. The google myspace deal was worth less than a billion dollars, and rumors are that Google actually paid less than that even because MySpace did not meet their traffic goals.
Also MySpace cost a lot of money to run. I actually looked at the News Corp financials and their digital properties division was losing hundreds of millions per year.
Re: MySpace Acquired: Email From CEO Mike Jones To Employees
#30How do I get "Tom" in my google+ circle?
I wonder how many people know that "Myspace Tom" was raided by the FBI when he was a kid: http://techcrunch.com/2008/08/30/myspace-cofounder-tom-ander...
Wow, I don't know how I missed that story. Pretty entertaining stuff, he should have stuck that in his corporate bio. I still wonder why people chose to make a Facebook film when the people that started Myspace seem so much more interesting.