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When we get Komooted

bikepacking.com

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Re: When we get Komooted

#31

Post by andrewshadura »

poisonborz wrote: post #16

The base premise was already bent: sell access to community-uploaded material. I know Google Maps does this on a much grander scale but at least the data is more or less accessible for everyone. I wonder why there aren't popular free/open projects that do what Komoot does. What they did above the contributions seem to be doable by a dedicated group or a nonprofit.

I’ve been using https://cycle.travel for a similar purpose. I may not be quite as polished, but it does its job, and it’s developed by a person from the OpenStreetMap community.

Re: When we get Komooted

#32

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

BozeWolf wrote: post #3

I felt betrayed as well. Just paid €30,- the month or so before because I liked the app and the service, but I also needed more maps. It offered great value to me. If I knew 80% of the employees would be fired, inevitably leading to a degrading service, I would have never done that. It is weird, but I do not trust the app any more in planning routes either. Sometimes i have the feeling bugs in the planning part alrea…

Friend of mine wrote this app[0]. It’s iOS-only (I’m not the target demographic, myself, but he works for a company that serves bikers, and is very much a fitness chap). It’s quite mature, and well-maintained. Personally, I know him as an outstanding engineer, so I’m sure it’s well-written. It’s been a labor of love for him, for over a decade.

[0] https://apps.apple.com/app/id605127860

Re: When we get Komooted

#34

Post by mnmalst »

avhception wrote: post #24

As someone who always rejected Komoot and stuck to OpenStreetMap, and had to justify that decision multiple times: I'll play them the world's smallest violin.

I am the same. I use osmand and sync the recorded tracks with syncthing to my desktop. Works for me but not comparable to sites like komoote of course.

Re: When we get Komooted

#35

Post by dakiol »

> Komoot, to them, was more than a job; it was a mission and purpose. Many had accepted below-average salaries and uprooted their lives to commit to the outdoor lifestyle and the dream job. Suddenly, they were left scrambling for new work and visa sponsors with just a few months’ pay as severance. The six bosses, meanwhile, pocketed an estimated 20 to 30 million euros each.

That’s why, and call me unethical, I never do more than necessary at work. Never help outside of business hours, never engage with rich bosses. Switch every 2-3 years to new places. Maximise my income (in real money, not imaginary stocks) while trying to work the minimum.

For dreams and craft, I have my side projects.

Re: When we get Komooted

#36

Post by dakiol »

sneak wrote: post #27
StrLght wrote: post #5

I don't feel like I've been Komooted. There are alternative apps that I'll switch to. However, it really sucks for employees. I know a guy who joined Komoot a few weeks before the sale, and who was among 80% fired right after the sale finalised. They've been negotiating the terms of sale and hiring people simultaneously -- that's just insane.

Why is that insane? A job this week is no guarantee, legally or practically, of a job next week. To assume otherwise is foolish and naive. That’s simply not how employment works.

You’re technically right. But it’s disappointing that that’s the normal state of affairs.

Re: When we get Komooted

#37

Post by Terr_ »

baq wrote: post #13

Just yesterday there was a thread about startups, compensation and what happens to promises when real money enters the picture. Your best bet to keep a social platform for a long time is a coop. You’ll never get investors, which is the point, but you also aren’t a foundation or a nonprofit with shackles (unless you get to OpenAI levels of creativity.)

Somewhat related: How bankruptcy laws mean many promises like "we won't misuse your data" become void in the name of extracting value for creditors. (The potential outcome affects decisions even if bankruptcy doesn't happen.)

So there's a system that needs to be reformed, it's not so much a matter of executives' personal attitudes.

Re: When we get Komooted

#38

Post by Terr_ »

skrebbel wrote: post #8

I’d love a founder perspective on this. If they kept saying “we won’t sell” and then sell, is that just plain breaking all promises and selling out, as this article suggests? Or was there more going on?

Even if they did break a promise, and there's some contractual oomph behind it... the company responsible is separate from the former owner.

Re: When we get Komooted

#40

Post by lycopodiopsida »

dakiol wrote: post #35

> Komoot, to them, was more than a job; it was a mission and purpose. Many had accepted below-average salaries and uprooted their lives to commit to the outdoor lifestyle and the dream job. Suddenly, they were left scrambling for new work and visa sponsors with just a few months’ pay as severance. The six bosses, meanwhile, pocketed an estimated 20 to 30 million euros each. That’s why, and call me unethical, I never…

There is nothing unethical about: you are doing the only sane thing in this system and economics. Morons, who work themselves to death believing bosses shit-talk about “our mission” and “we are in this together” will learn it the hard way.
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