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Marissa Mayer Makes First Yahoo Acquisition: Stamped

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Re: Marissa Mayer Makes First Yahoo Acquisition: Stamped

#21

Post by [deleted] »

webwright wrote: post #18
revelation wrote: post #2

Great. Hiring your buddies by acquihiring their failing iPhone app startup.

Way to add to the conversation. Hiring your "buddies" is WAY lower risk that acqui-hiring strangers. They are a known quantity AND they have enough loyalty that they probably won't bolt the instant they are able. They'll also probably work harder for you than the average acquihire. This is how the world works-- and it makes sense. It isn't just bullshit "who you know rather than what you know". Moral of the story is…

[deleted]

Re: Marissa Mayer Makes First Yahoo Acquisition: Stamped

#22

Post by smartwater »

reinhardt wrote: post #7

What's up with this infatuation with Marissa Mayer? I don't remember reading about "Mark Zuckerberg acquiring Instagram" or "Steve Ballmer buying Yammer". Sheesh. EDIT: Wow that was quick, three downvotes in less than five minutes. Must have missed the memo that she's the new Steve Jobs, or something.

She's the youngest Fortune 500 CEO, what do you expect?

Re: Marissa Mayer Makes First Yahoo Acquisition: Stamped

#24

Post by upinsmoke »

hellmans wrote: post #16
reinhardt wrote: post #7

What's up with this infatuation with Marissa Mayer? I don't remember reading about "Mark Zuckerberg acquiring Instagram" or "Steve Ballmer buying Yammer". Sheesh. EDIT: Wow that was quick, three downvotes in less than five minutes. Must have missed the memo that she's the new Steve Jobs, or something.

Many Google detractors (largely composed of fans of Apple, for what that's worth) see Mayer as, bizarrely, the anti-GOOG. They think she's going to open a second front on Google while somehow being universally aligned with Apple. Bizarre, but there you have it. The people who are interested in / cheering for Mayer will almost always be carrying an iPhone.

Great. Another thread turned in a discussion about Apple.

Re: Marissa Mayer Makes First Yahoo Acquisition: Stamped

#25

Post by jemfinch »

jlarocco wrote: post #20
nswans wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You sound bitter. If you've used the product, you can see that it was beautiful, usable, and the performance was solid. If we assume that the product is failing (even though they've raised two rounds of funding from seasoned and celebrity investors alike), we know that the team can execute well. Mayer wants to move to mobile-first, so acqui-hiring a team who know how to build well for mobile can be a smart move. It m…

Ha! I'm inclined to agree that their product was doing well simply because it was discontinued immediately after Yahoo bought them. Isn't killing successful products what Yahoo is known for?

This type of snarky comment diminishes the level of discourse here. Please stop making them, and please encourage others to stop making them.

Re: Marissa Mayer Makes First Yahoo Acquisition: Stamped

#26

Post by webwright »

barredo wrote: post #17
revelation wrote: post #2

Great. Hiring your buddies by acquihiring their failing iPhone app startup.

How can we all know if Stamped was failing? Care to share?

Here's how they've done: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s4/sh/80502dd0-c6d7-49f2-9a8c...

Definitely not a mobile success-- but they built pretty, intuitive, usable software that didn't break.

Re: Marissa Mayer Makes First Yahoo Acquisition: Stamped

#27

Post by phillmv »

nswans wrote: post #14
revelation wrote: post #2

Great. Hiring your buddies by acquihiring their failing iPhone app startup.

You sound bitter. If you've used the product, you can see that it was beautiful, usable, and the performance was solid. If we assume that the product is failing (even though they've raised two rounds of funding from seasoned and celebrity investors alike), we know that the team can execute well. Mayer wants to move to mobile-first, so acqui-hiring a team who know how to build well for mobile can be a smart move. It m…

raising funds != success

What was that comparison? No one says, "congratulations on that huge loan you just took out!".

I'm sure the team was great, but I'm confused as to why we should be lauding this state of affairs. If they were making money, then why should they all have up and left to go work at Yahoo!?

From the, admittedly poor on information and high on snark, position I'm comfortably seated on it seems like you had a great team that was wonderfully subsidized by VC that managed to save face with an 'exit'.

I'm sure it's really fun to go through the motions, but I don't really see the part where they added value; I only see an elaborate social signaling event (again, obviously the team is competent, filled with A players) fully subsidized by Yahoo! shareholders.

If I'm missing out on something I'd love to know about it.

Re: Marissa Mayer Makes First Yahoo Acquisition: Stamped

#28

Post by dave1619 »

webwright wrote: post #26
barredo wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can we all know if Stamped was failing? Care to share?

Here's how they've done: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s4/sh/80502dd0-c6d7-49f2-9a8c... Definitely not a mobile success-- but they built pretty, intuitive, usable software that didn't break.

Yeah, the chart tells the story. I think they had a difficult time picking up traction. They did a kind of pivot recently when they added the ability to stamp books, music, TV, movies, iOS apps, etc. But when I used the app it was confusing and scattered.

I read a blog post by MG Siegler about Stamped a few months ago (http://parislemon.com/post/28144863354/stamped-is-it-worthy), but didn't buy his enthusiasm. Stamped seemed like too difficult of a concept/activity for the masses to understand and too broadly marketed for early adopters to get really excited.

Re: Marissa Mayer Makes First Yahoo Acquisition: Stamped

#29

Post by jmathai »

phillmv wrote: post #27
nswans wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You sound bitter. If you've used the product, you can see that it was beautiful, usable, and the performance was solid. If we assume that the product is failing (even though they've raised two rounds of funding from seasoned and celebrity investors alike), we know that the team can execute well. Mayer wants to move to mobile-first, so acqui-hiring a team who know how to build well for mobile can be a smart move. It m…

raising funds != success What was that comparison? No one says, "congratulations on that huge loan you just took out!". I'm sure the team was great, but I'm confused as to why we should be lauding this state of affairs. If they were making money, then why should they all have up and left to go work at Yahoo!? From the, admittedly poor on information and high on snark, position I'm comfortably seated on it seems like…

raising funds != taking a loan

And if you've ever raised funds then yes, it's an accomplishment and cause to celebrate. Just get back to work the next day.

Re: Marissa Mayer Makes First Yahoo Acquisition: Stamped

#30

Post by samstave »

webwright wrote: post #18
revelation wrote: post #2

Great. Hiring your buddies by acquihiring their failing iPhone app startup.

Way to add to the conversation. Hiring your "buddies" is WAY lower risk that acqui-hiring strangers. They are a known quantity AND they have enough loyalty that they probably won't bolt the instant they are able. They'll also probably work harder for you than the average acquihire. This is how the world works-- and it makes sense. It isn't just bullshit "who you know rather than what you know". Moral of the story is…

>It isn't just bullshit "who you know rather than what you know".

I dont believe in your assessment.

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