All I want to know is how this got to be the top story on HackerNews. Its a blatant PR grab on one side, and borderline infantile on the other.
Yuck on both counts.
Zendesk CEO calls Freshdesk a freaking rip off - Freshdesk responds
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Re: Zendesk CEO calls Freshdesk a freaking rip off - Freshdesk responds
#102This might be a good lesson in don't feed the monster so it gets more attention. When the big guy talks smack about a presumably smaller guy, it's because they're threatened? Who cares if their pricing is a rip off, it's good for Zendesk if Freshdesk is a ripoff, because no one will use it. By saying and doing nothing Freshdesk could spiral into a blackhole of me never hearing about it. Instead Zendesk put Freshdesk…
>Who cares if their pricing is a rip off
yea, I read it that way at first but I don't think that is what they are saying. "Knockoff" is probably what they meant.
Re: Zendesk CEO calls Freshdesk a freaking rip off - Freshdesk responds
#103I was with them up until the quote at the end. At best, it's disputed[1]. It's strange how one small oversight took the wind of the entire argument's sail (so to speak).
[1] http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mohandas_Karamchand_Gandhi#Disp...
Re: Zendesk CEO calls Freshdesk a freaking rip off - Freshdesk responds
#104Just to point out this was posted to HN by Girish Mathrubootham himself (the Founder/CEO of FreshDesk).
It's worthy of debate, but we'll all feeding this PR stunt (and if some people feel Girish is a troll, then you're feeding a troll too).
And usually it's considered 'poor form' to submit your own stuff to HN.
Re: Zendesk CEO calls Freshdesk a freaking rip off - Freshdesk responds
#105HackerNews readers, watch and learn. I'm about deconstruct what is going on. Anybody who brushes off FreshDesk because of its Indian roots is doing FreshDesk a favour. This is a sharp mind at work and it is lethal. FreshDesk is executing the standard modus operandi of upstart against an incumbent. Jobs is a master at it (I'm Apple I'm Microsoft), Calacanis too (remember the SEO controversy, and then the Angel controv…
This kind of stuff, especially Twitter-spamming, really rubs me the wrong way. Some people call it hustle, but I just think it's dirty. I'm much less likely to sign up for FreshDesk in the future if it comes across my desk now.
Re: Zendesk CEO calls Freshdesk a freaking rip off - Freshdesk responds
#106HackerNews readers, watch and learn. I'm about deconstruct what is going on. Anybody who brushes off FreshDesk because of its Indian roots is doing FreshDesk a favour. This is a sharp mind at work and it is lethal. FreshDesk is executing the standard modus operandi of upstart against an incumbent. Jobs is a master at it (I'm Apple I'm Microsoft), Calacanis too (remember the SEO controversy, and then the Angel controv…
This kind of stuff, especially Twitter-spamming, really rubs me the wrong way. Some people call it hustle, but I just think it's dirty. I'm much less likely to sign up for FreshDesk in the future if it comes across my desk now.
You should have seen Steve Blank relate his tale with a smile when his Stanford Lean Startup students spammed the faculty in order to achieve some traction. Twitter spamming isn't a business model, but there is one stage of a startup's life when you have to do things that any self respecting person is reluctant to do, but for the survival of the company. Even Balsamiq did that.
Over at Mixergy, about a year ago, the founder of a BabySitter service talked about how she sneaked into university campuses to post advertisements, all the time humming the "mission impossible" tune to keep her in the right mental frame.
Re: Zendesk CEO calls Freshdesk a freaking rip off - Freshdesk responds
#107HackerNews readers, watch and learn. I'm about deconstruct what is going on. Anybody who brushes off FreshDesk because of its Indian roots is doing FreshDesk a favour. This is a sharp mind at work and it is lethal. FreshDesk is executing the standard modus operandi of upstart against an incumbent. Jobs is a master at it (I'm Apple I'm Microsoft), Calacanis too (remember the SEO controversy, and then the Angel controv…
Thank you for pointing out this obvious PR campaign. The whole point of highlighting this exchange, the surrounding publicity, the custom url/etc is to raise the profile and get people to pick sides to generate discussion. This PR technique is as old as the sex tape and about exhausted as it gets. It's the online equivalent of reading "britney spears vs lindsay lohan".
If you want to call it a PR campaign that is fine. However, lets not forget that this campaign was made possible by the statements and responses from ZenDesk and an associate.
Re: Zendesk CEO calls Freshdesk a freaking rip off - Freshdesk responds
#108There's nothing like bad publicity. I never heard of freshdesk before this. Use the publicity That you've been given freshdesk but don't overdo it!
"There's nothing like bad publicity."
Carrier iQ might have something to say about that.
I agree though, this is great publicity for FreshDesk. May the best service win.
Re: Zendesk CEO calls Freshdesk a freaking rip off - Freshdesk responds
#109If you're on the right track, competitors are going to rip you off. If you're on the right track, competitors are going to try to poach your customers. If you're on the right track, some competitors are going to talk trash about you when they think no one's looking. Or even when everyone's looking! Using profanity in their Twitter feeds, even! But just because you're on the right track doesn't mean you can't derail;…
How is FreshDesk ripping off or poaching the customers of ZenDesk? Last time I checked, it was people connected to ZenDesk who are the one's talking trash.
Last time I checked, having a feature list where you compare your product with theirs, complete with little green ticks and all, it probably means your software is playing in the same space as theirs. That's the real essence of the "rip off" portion of the accusation.
Copying your competitors features... well, that happens a lot. Copying their name and their features, and then acting surprised when people call you on it? That's pretty much textbook douchebaggery.
But the copying doesn't stop there, because they even copied the pricing structure!
And then they act all upset when they get accused of copying.
As for the racially inflamatory remarks... go check the last big discussion on hacker news about the state of the Indian education system. The Indians themselves say that cheating is blatant and pervasive. So while that kind of strawman argument doesn't do much for the intellectual quality of the argument.... you shouldn't complain about being stereotyped if what you are doing conforms exactly to the stereotype.
In other words, if the shoe fits, wear it. If not, then throw it.
Re: Zendesk CEO calls Freshdesk a freaking rip off - Freshdesk responds
#110HackerNews readers, watch and learn. I'm about deconstruct what is going on. Anybody who brushes off FreshDesk because of its Indian roots is doing FreshDesk a favour. This is a sharp mind at work and it is lethal. FreshDesk is executing the standard modus operandi of upstart against an incumbent. Jobs is a master at it (I'm Apple I'm Microsoft), Calacanis too (remember the SEO controversy, and then the Angel controv…
Ben Kepes is a New Zealander, f'n Australians....;)