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Instagram is shifting to videos – users aren't happy

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Re: Instagram is shifting to videos – users aren't happy

#31

Post by JumpCrisscross »

samwillis wrote: post #20
vannevar wrote: post #10

Social media companies are in a bind. They're companies, so they have to grow or die. But they're invested in their current platform, and the likelihood of a particular innovation being successful is low, so it's tough for them to do radical R&D, they're limited to tweaking their current platform. This opens the door to startups, which can capture the new (young) users who aren't committed to a platform. A small numb…

> They're companies, so they have to grow or die. This is a failing of modern corporate culture. There is nothing wrong in reaching a stable equilibrium, becoming profitable, and if you are a public company, paying dividends. It’s unfortunate that it’s become growth at all costs, there is something to be said about public companies just stabilising, and paying out profits to shareholders. Now, that’s not to say Faceb…

> a failing of modern corporate culture. There is nothing wrong in reaching a stable equilibrium, becoming profitable, and if you are a public company, paying dividends

It’s the failing of a culture. Plenty of companies do this. (I cautiously venture that most American companies do this?)

Re: Instagram is shifting to videos – users aren't happy

#32

Post by fdgsdfogijq »

dhosek wrote: post #26
fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #9

Theory on facebook failure/Google failure to innovate: They have the highest leetcode standards out of FAANG. As does Snap. They hire people that basically memorized computer science algorithms. And so their employees are bookish, not innovative people. Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon do not have the same issues with creating new products. Keith Rabois (top VC), mentioned that FB has always prioritized optimization over…

I interviewed at Amazon in 2008ish and it was very leetcode-ish in its interview process. I remember whiteboarding a garbage collector. In any event, few companies have product direction set by engineering. There might be influence, but product tends to be a different set of employees than engineering.

Amazon is definitely leetcodeish, but they also extensively test behavioral. You need some leetcode, but its more mild

Re: Instagram is shifting to videos – users aren't happy

#33

Post by navanchauhan »

alexashka wrote: post #16
jacquesc wrote: post #4

Maybe it'll show up in their usage numbers. I stopped using IG because it's near impossible not to prevent the sound from blasting from accidentally scrolling or clicking on a reel. I feel like a product team that gave any shit whatsoever would give people a mute button that stays put. People use their phones in lots of different locations (with other people around). And phones are constantly blasting music at random…

Is there not a physical mute button on your phone?

maybe, not everyone has an iPhone or a OnePlus device?

Re: Instagram is shifting to videos – users aren't happy

#34

Post by thefz »

fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #9

Theory on facebook failure/Google failure to innovate: They have the highest leetcode standards out of FAANG. As does Snap. They hire people that basically memorized computer science algorithms. And so their employees are bookish, not innovative people. Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon do not have the same issues with creating new products. Keith Rabois (top VC), mentioned that FB has always prioritized optimization over…

> They have the highest leetcode standards out of FAANG. As does Snap. They hire people that basically memorized computer science algorithms. And so their employees are bookish, not innovative people. Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon do not have the same issues with creating new products.

I don't think this is necessarily true because the people designing products are not the same people creating/implementing them. Even the most innovative company of the planet has some programmers and sysadmins doing "bookish" jobs as you say.

Don't fall in the trap of thinking a smart and well trained tech can't be creative; there's some code out there that is a work of art and can inspire awe in everyone. Don't think that if their work is not evident or easy to comprehend it is not creative.

Re: Instagram is shifting to videos – users aren't happy

#35

Post by bilsbie »

fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #9

Theory on facebook failure/Google failure to innovate: They have the highest leetcode standards out of FAANG. As does Snap. They hire people that basically memorized computer science algorithms. And so their employees are bookish, not innovative people. Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon do not have the same issues with creating new products. Keith Rabois (top VC), mentioned that FB has always prioritized optimization over…

You might be on to something! They also seem have a yes-person culture and you can’t question the group think.

Re: Instagram is shifting to videos – users aren't happy

#36

Post by kache_ »

You know what? I love the new instagram changes. And everyone I know has been using it more and more over the years. Interesting that the people who hate it so much are the same ones that are using it. Data doesn't lie.

TikTok copied short form videos from.. vine. I mean youtube YLYL videos. I mean... newgrounds.

Shit's been around, and both facebook and google are going to lap tik tok. Keep up :)

Re: Instagram is shifting to videos – users aren't happy

#37

Post by nrb »

fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #23
Apocryphon wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much leetcoding do their PMs do? I understand your overall point, but I don't think having a high algorithmic/data structures whiteboarding bar for their engineers correlates to Facebook's weakening product abilities. Ditto for Google.

I think it does. As much as companies want to believe that product runs the product, an engineer that can create new things that influences the product is massively more valuable. Amazon commonly has engineers drive new innovations, product people nowhere to be seen

There are without a doubt a sea of creative people at Meta, the question is whether the organizational structure disincentivizes creative collaboration with engineering.

Re: Instagram is shifting to videos – users aren't happy

#38

Post by prepend »

alexashka wrote: post #16
jacquesc wrote: post #4

Maybe it'll show up in their usage numbers. I stopped using IG because it's near impossible not to prevent the sound from blasting from accidentally scrolling or clicking on a reel. I feel like a product team that gave any shit whatsoever would give people a mute button that stays put. People use their phones in lots of different locations (with other people around). And phones are constantly blasting music at random…

Is there not a physical mute button on your phone?

Instagram ignores the mute button on my iPhone. I have to manually turn the volume down to zero to consistently get no sound.

It’s a real jerk app.

Re: Instagram is shifting to videos – users aren't happy

#39

Post by just_boost_it »

winternett wrote: post #2

It's interesting that they don't care, it's a Marie Antoinette-esque attitude to their lifeblood, and ultimately what will end their dominance. The truth is they converted a free service into a pay service (the gas-lights creators and businesses into paying for visibility). The visibility, even when paid for is not very fruitful for many as well... If you run a small business like a restaurant in the US, but get 40,0…

I can't see IRC coming back as there's just slightly too much friction for the common person to get up and running.

I could see websites coming back (I mean like the way people used to actually browse websites instead of social media). The problem with websites at the moment is discoverability. Google's SEO is a major roadblock to this at the moment. A way around it might be a "web of discoverability", with meaningful, relevant links on each website curated by the site owners themselves. At the moment, this seems to be a void filled by ads, which is a sort of tragedy of the commons.

Re: Instagram is shifting to videos – users aren't happy

#40

Post by KerrAvon »

fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #9

Theory on facebook failure/Google failure to innovate: They have the highest leetcode standards out of FAANG. As does Snap. They hire people that basically memorized computer science algorithms. And so their employees are bookish, not innovative people. Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon do not have the same issues with creating new products. Keith Rabois (top VC), mentioned that FB has always prioritized optimization over…

I have no opinion on the quality of any particular employees, but the thing about Google interviews is that they seem to optimize for a certain kind of personality. Lots of people are "bookish" but Google seems to somehow further optimize for people with high IQ but low emotional intelligence. That lack of empathy is further reinforced by the needs of the advertising business, which is actually Google's primary business.
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