Ballmer Calls Facebook A Fad?

alaskamiller wrote: post #2

GeoCities => Friendster => MySpace => Facebook Wake me up when there's news. I bet all those stupid Microsoft investment stories were planted by Facebook's PR firm.

facebook and its giant hype-ridden PR push will probably backfire and they won't be able to get an investor/buyer at these ridiculous valuations. They'll have to go the IPO way and IPO will not do well (at least not at the valuations they're suggesting).

Re: Ballmer Calls Facebook A Fad?

#5

Post by mattmccor » Tue, Oct 02, 2007, 10:52 PM UTC

Link to the original source next time: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sect...

"There can't be any more deep technology in Facebook than what dozens of people could write in a couple of years. That's for sure," he said.

If he really thinks Facebook is about the technology, he is completely missing the point.

Re: Ballmer Calls Facebook A Fad?

#6

Post by blader » Wed, Oct 03, 2007, 12:29 AM UTC

Marc Andreesen on Steve Ballmer on Facebook: http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/10/on-steve-ballme.html:

"I think these things [social networks] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people," Mr. Ballmer told Times Online yesterday.

Ballmer subsequently added:

"I think these things [television shows] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people."

"I think these things [talking motion pictures] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people."

"I think these things [rock and roll music] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people."

"I think these things [hip hop music] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people."

"I think these things [fast food restaurants] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people."

"I think these things [video games] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people."

"I think these things [digital music players] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people."

"I think these things [search engines] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people."

"I think these things [the Internet] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people."

And finally:

"I think these things [personal computers] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people."

Re: Ballmer Calls Facebook A Fad?

#7

Post by blader » Wed, Oct 03, 2007, 12:37 AM UTC

I remember having this conversation at Startup School last year with some very smart hackers over dinner. The overwhelming majority felt that Facebook was exactly that, a fad like MySpace or Friend or whatever, that it won't be around in 5 years, that they don't have any real technology, etc. I was the only person who disagreed.

I argued that they have an amazing team, that they control the most accurate and real social graph on the planet, they are cooking up something big with it, and they will without a doubt not only be around, but be much bigger in 5 years.

6 months, 1 platform, 5000 apps, and 50 million users later, I'm feeling pretty comfortable about my stance, I don't know about the other guys.

Re: Ballmer Calls Facebook A Fad?

#8

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Oct 03, 2007, 1:55 AM UTC

blader wrote: post #7

I remember having this conversation at Startup School last year with some very smart hackers over dinner. The overwhelming majority felt that Facebook was exactly that, a fad like MySpace or Friend or whatever, that it won't be around in 5 years, that they don't have any real technology, etc. I was the only person who disagreed. I argued that they have an amazing team, that they control the most accurate and real soc…

[deleted]

Re: Ballmer Calls Facebook A Fad?

#9

Post by mynameishere » Wed, Oct 03, 2007, 4:25 AM UTC

mattmccor wrote: post #5

Link to the original source next time: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sect... "There can't be any more deep technology in Facebook than what dozens of people could write in a couple of years. That's for sure," he said. If he really thinks Facebook is about the technology, he is completely missing the point.

If you go to a VC with a new idea and ask him to invest in it, one of the first things he'll ask is, how hard would this be for someone else to develop? That is, how much difficult ground have you put between yourself and potential pursuers?

http://www.paulgraham.com/wealth.html

For facebook the question "how hard?" is meaningless. There are a 1000 replicons already waiting to take its place. The only thing wrong with what Ballmer said is that it isn't "a couple years", but "right this very moment".

Re: Ballmer Calls Facebook A Fad?

#10

Post by hello_moto » Wed, Oct 03, 2007, 4:44 AM UTC

blader wrote: post #6

Marc Andreesen on Steve Ballmer on Facebook: http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/10/on-steve-ballme.html: "I think these things [social networks] are going to have some legs, and yet there's a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people," Mr. Ballmer told Times Online yesterday. Ballmer subsequently added: "I think these things [television shows] are going to have some legs, and yet…

Marc boy seems still upset that MS crushed his darling to dust. But then again it was Marc who had the biggest mouth back then.