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What's Actually Wrong with Yahoo's Purchase of Summly

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Re: What's Actually Wrong with Yahoo's Purchase of Summly

#251

Post by michaelochurch »

verbalist wrote: post #200
michaelochurch wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, first they'd have to acq-hire me. I'm cheaper than $30 million, though. I am seriously considering considering going into business as an "unfuck your culture" consultant. If you're at the point where you're paying $6 million per head for talent, then I'm a fucking steal at $2500 per hour [0]. Sure, I will talk your ear off for 200-400 hours over two months and bill you for almost a million, but I will solve you…

Will your company have a yogurt cup for a logo? I'll let you have that idea for $500 - $600.

No, but the Office Olympics will use Yoplait lids for medals.

Re: What's Actually Wrong with Yahoo's Purchase of Summly

#252

Post by cgmorton »

michaelochurch wrote: post #250
jiggy2011 wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it's not just about talent, you could certainly hire amazing talent for a lot less than $30 million. I imagine this kid will disappear into Yahoo and emerge again in 3 years time more mature and having been groomed for a leadership role by Mayer etc. He will be the "lead developer" for some new product they have spent $serious_R&D_budget on and will make another promotional video where he talks in a charming Br…

I'm an old fart (29) and don't have a British accent, but I'll do the three-year CEO-protege thing for a mere $10 million and kick it's ass (as long as you listen to me; if not, then you're wasting money). Bidding war's on! (If you say $9.99 million, then you are a fucking asshole.)

Man, $1 million is more money than I will ever need.

So I'll do it for $3 million. Your move.

Re: What's Actually Wrong with Yahoo's Purchase of Summly

#254

Post by jiggy2011 »

cgmorton wrote: post #252
michaelochurch wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm an old fart (29) and don't have a British accent, but I'll do the three-year CEO-protege thing for a mere $10 million and kick it's ass (as long as you listen to me; if not, then you're wasting money). Bidding war's on! (If you say $9.99 million, then you are a fucking asshole.)

Man, $1 million is more money than I will ever need. So I'll do it for $3 million. Your move.

See, that's why this 17 year old kid is much smarter than you. He got in before the race to the bottom started!

Re: What's Actually Wrong with Yahoo's Purchase of Summly

#255

Post by mason240 »

api wrote: post #74

What this really underscores is that conventional capitalism provides little incentive for fundamental innovation. All this stuff we're gluing together is the product of state-funded research, mostly from the cold war era. DARPANet, the web (CERN), DARPA research on "augmented human intelligence," etc. Stuff like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJDv-zdhzMY (I bet you thought Xerox PARC invented that stuff, right? Or…

This tired bit again?

Military research may have made done early development on networking protocols, but it was capitalism and the free market principals that took if from "something that could have potential" to the "humanities greatest creation."

Saying that government created the internet would be like giving a government credit for creating cars because while making new weapons, they accidentally made wheel.

Re: What's Actually Wrong with Yahoo's Purchase of Summly

#256

Post by mason240 »

api wrote: post #74

What this really underscores is that conventional capitalism provides little incentive for fundamental innovation. All this stuff we're gluing together is the product of state-funded research, mostly from the cold war era. DARPANet, the web (CERN), DARPA research on "augmented human intelligence," etc. Stuff like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJDv-zdhzMY (I bet you thought Xerox PARC invented that stuff, right? Or…

This tired bit again?

Military research may have made done early development on networking protocols, but it was capitalism and the free market principals that took if from "something that could have potential" to the "humanities greatest creation."

Saying that government created the internet would be like giving a government credit for creating cars because while making new weapons, they accidentally made wheel.

Re: What's Actually Wrong with Yahoo's Purchase of Summly

#257

Post by ovi256 »

michaelochurch wrote: post #250
jiggy2011 wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it's not just about talent, you could certainly hire amazing talent for a lot less than $30 million. I imagine this kid will disappear into Yahoo and emerge again in 3 years time more mature and having been groomed for a leadership role by Mayer etc. He will be the "lead developer" for some new product they have spent $serious_R&D_budget on and will make another promotional video where he talks in a charming Br…

I'm an old fart (29) and don't have a British accent, but I'll do the three-year CEO-protege thing for a mere $10 million and kick it's ass (as long as you listen to me; if not, then you're wasting money). Bidding war's on! (If you say $9.99 million, then you are a fucking asshole.)

I'll do the three-year CEO-protege thing for $10 million as well, but I'll listen to the payer! Better deal heh?

Re: What's Actually Wrong with Yahoo's Purchase of Summly

#258

Post by michaelochurch »

ovi256 wrote: post #257
michaelochurch wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm an old fart (29) and don't have a British accent, but I'll do the three-year CEO-protege thing for a mere $10 million and kick it's ass (as long as you listen to me; if not, then you're wasting money). Bidding war's on! (If you say $9.99 million, then you are a fucking asshole.)

I'll do the three-year CEO-protege thing for $10 million as well, but I'll listen to the payer! Better deal heh?

The listening is obviously a part of the package. Before I can say, "You're doing it wrong" in good conscience, I have to make sure that you are doing wrong.

I know it must seem like I get off on pointing out Wrongness, but there's this thankless and time-consuming process of finding the Wrongness. It's exhausting work. Y'all just see the fun part.

Re: What's Actually Wrong with Yahoo's Purchase of Summly

#259

Post by silverlake »

badgar wrote: post #59
pan69 wrote: post #16

This is my (pessimistic) take on this Summly thing. I think the following scenario happened: 15 year old kid does something with computers and for some reason the press is all over it. Some smart investors thinks; "hey, I can use this to make money". They invest money into this 15 year old which gives him more press coverage. Wait a few years and the investor gets his buddies at Yahoo to buy it for a substantial amou…

You're forgetting his loaded and well-connected parents.

A VP on Wall St. is a mid-level position, like senior engineer. The dude is well-off but not loaded nor connected.

Re: What's Actually Wrong with Yahoo's Purchase of Summly

#260

Post by robomartin »

Dewie wrote: post #227
robomartin wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First: Je viens en paix. So, please, don't turn this into a mud-slinging competition. Also, because of the ambiguity that exists in the English language I should clarify that this is addressed to the general HN audience rather than to api. In other words, when I use "you" it is generally meant as the plural "you". I have a genuine problem understanding where anti-capitalism sentiment, particularly in HN, comes from.…

> As an example, most religions folks were indoctrinated into their religion. I don't know anyone who grew up without any kind of religion shoveled at them as a kid, only to choose one independently as an adult. It is a fair question: Are you pro state/government/communism/socialism because you chose to believe this way or because the thoughts were shoveled into your head? Can you remove yourself from your mind far e…

Attended private and public schools (nearly a 50/50 split). Private school was not quite religious but had a Christian church next as part of the campus and some of our teachers were the priests. Became an atheist somewhere in college. Highly entrepreneurial family. Have been an entrepreneur myself since probably high school. Started and ran half a dozen businesses with my own money. Also worked in industry (employee) at various levels (Junior Engineer to CTO) for about twenty years.

Is that what you needed to know?

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