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Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

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Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#401
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

I feel that you need to actually try out the Quest 2 before you pan it.

If they let me use it offline without an account I would be tempted. I have no desire to have hardware that only works when connected to the internet via an account.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#402
post #180
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

My money is on this comment aging poorly. Not because there shouldn't be legitimate concerns about VR, but because it's pointing to Facebook execution fail as the only thing that matters to the success of the metaverse, and it's expecting that the timeline should have been further along by now. Facebook has always built mediocre products. Its strength is in acquiring or copying good ones, and then jacking the interna…

The question is whether or not this is even a category that will ever be more than a niche. What value does this kind of VR environment really provide beyond its novelty, and is this something that the average person actually wants? I am not so sure about that, and history is full of technologies that sound cool on paper, but have limited use in practice.

Consider, for example, the repeated attempts at making 3D televisions a thing. It keeps popping up every couple of years, then people figure out that they don't really need it, and it fades away again. This kind of VR technology could very well be the same. Even 3D gaming remains a niche despite some serious attempts by major players to turn it into something more than a gimmick.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#403
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

You’ll change your mind once you start seeing people walking around in their rPods, or whatever. (Apple’s new headset)

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#404
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

I feel compelled to say that your second sentence is probably the funniest thing I've ever read on HN. It resonates very strongly with my belief that VR/Metaverse will continue to under deliver. What people want is an escape from reality. "Just like" Ready Player One or anything from a wide choice of science fiction novels. The problem is that these systems require a fundamental disconnect from reality. Not only do w…

Fair points though I suggest technology is farther along than monkey playing pong. Consider Neuralink for one. I read the book metaman back in the late 90s and even then they had very simple brain to chip interfaces.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#405

Quoted post unavailable.

1500 words isn't that many words. Most people when they send their farewell company email is like 500 words. She'd been at the company (at the top) for >10 years. What do you expect?

Since you read it all, can you tell me if there is anything in it aside from meaningless corporate platitudes? Is the expectation that more senior=more platitudes since nobody reads them and just looks at how long they are anyway?

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#406
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

To play devils advocate, Facebook is more essential to my life than it ever was before. * Marketplace was a huge success in terms of subsuming Craigslist. The quality of posts and the volume of postings makes me rarely even check Craigslist anymore. * Small forums for various hobbies are almost entirely driven by Facebook groups now, instead of in the past where you’d find some custom bulletin board where the last po…

This must be cohort-dependent.

For me, Marketplace buyers have flaked out more than Craigslist ones. Forums are less useful/dynamic than anonymous Reddit. And I don't even touch Messenger vs. numerous other chat apps.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#407
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

People on HN have been predicting facebook's demise for nearly a decade now. People on HN have been wrong. Almost any popular sentiment on HN, especially tech related, seems to be nonsense.

> The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it.

And the idea of people watching video on a tiny smartphone was initially thought to be absurd.

> When they first announced the rebrand I actually thought it could be genius

Did you really?

> but epic strategic miscalculation seems to be going around a lot this year.

Right. Like facebook's miscalculation in buying instagram, whatsapp, etc.

I've never used facebook. Think the world's better without facebook and most social media and large tech companies like apple, microsoft, google, etc. But man, you people have been so wrong for so long and it's hard to take the facebook haters seriously anymore. Just like the tesla haters a few years ago.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#408
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

To play devils advocate, Facebook is more essential to my life than it ever was before. * Marketplace was a huge success in terms of subsuming Craigslist. The quality of posts and the volume of postings makes me rarely even check Craigslist anymore. * Small forums for various hobbies are almost entirely driven by Facebook groups now, instead of in the past where you’d find some custom bulletin board where the last po…

I used FB only for events before the pandemic, so I didn't use it much in the last years.

I like Instagram and WhatsApp, but Meta's "core" business is non of my interests.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#409
post #44

Well, more time to "Lean In" to activities like being in a relationship a guy that systematically covered up the sexual harassment of his female employees, I suppose? https://www.wsj.com/articles/sandberg-facebook-kotick-activi...

No post body was provided.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#410
post #313

"Sitting by Mark’s side for these 14 years has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime. [...] In the critical moments of my life, in the highest highs and in the depths of true lows, I have never had to turn to Mark, because he was already there." If this is an accurate reflection of her experience, I don't expect it's a side of Mark Zuckerberg most of us imagine exists.

I’ve worked directly for Mark and closely with Sheryl for nearly 14 years and this is very accurate.

Curious how a group of people that seem to care so much for each other could care so little for everyone else. That is the thing I just can't wrap my head around with Facebook... what did you/do you believe the mission is, before it was VR?
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