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Dear Mark Zuckerberg

daltoncaldwell.com

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Re: Dear Mark Zuckerberg

#11

Post by WiseWeasel »

tjic wrote: post #3

I don't understand what you think Facebook did wrong. They intend to enter this new space, using their technology and their people. As a courtesy they offered to hire you / throw a lot of money at you. What would you have had them do instead? Not compete with you, because you're a precious snow flake? Acquire you and treat you like a prima donna, giving you your own team and allowing you to take your own technical di…

It seems like Dalton was under the impression that he was rather explicitly threatened with being denied access to the Facebook platform through a change in terms of service, in a way that is critical to his business. That's a strong-handed negotiation tactic for a supposed business infrastructure provider.

Re: Dear Mark Zuckerberg

#12

Post by marcusf »

One thing I don't get, and I've started to feel really stupid for it, is this whole Social as Infrastructure meme that has started going around and that the author touches on. I'd love for someone to explain to me exactly what it would entail, why any company would move to become a commodity, and where the user value would be?

I'm not saying there aren't any really good answers to these questions, I'm just too thick to see it.

Re: Dear Mark Zuckerberg

#13

Post by ivankirigin »

To clarify for those confused comments here: app.net is in part a platform to showcase your app. Facebook's AppCenter is similar. If they were building an open platform, app.net could build into Facebook's AppCenter. Offering a aquihire and refusing to make an open platform is what Dalton doesn't like.

His critique is tied to his project at http://join.app.net because the reason the platform isn't open according to Dalton is because Facebook needs the ad revenue to hit its performance numbers.

Re: Dear Mark Zuckerberg

#14

Post by DevX101 »

WiseWeasel wrote: post #11
tjic wrote: post #3

I don't understand what you think Facebook did wrong. They intend to enter this new space, using their technology and their people. As a courtesy they offered to hire you / throw a lot of money at you. What would you have had them do instead? Not compete with you, because you're a precious snow flake? Acquire you and treat you like a prima donna, giving you your own team and allowing you to take your own technical di…

It seems like Dalton was under the impression that he was rather explicitly threatened with being denied access to the Facebook platform through a change in terms of service, in a way that is critical to his business. That's a strong-handed negotiation tactic for a supposed business infrastructure provider.

Strong handed and entirely legitimate.

Re: Dear Mark Zuckerberg

#16

Post by alttab »

Sounds like the author's righteousness has worn off and now he regrets not negotiating with Facebook more. To make himself feel like he got something out of it, he posts a blog about how Facebook is the enemy, and not-so-subtly brags that his creation was wanted for acquisition by Facebook.

Re: Dear Mark Zuckerberg

#17

Post by MayanAstronaut »

tjic wrote: post #3

I don't understand what you think Facebook did wrong. They intend to enter this new space, using their technology and their people. As a courtesy they offered to hire you / throw a lot of money at you. What would you have had them do instead? Not compete with you, because you're a precious snow flake? Acquire you and treat you like a prima donna, giving you your own team and allowing you to take your own technical di…

Totally agree with you. It's a game, FB used hard tactics, now he is using public sentiment. It is just an money game in the end. Blog posts like this just hurt both companies perceptions.

Re: Dear Mark Zuckerberg

#19

Post by mindcrime »

Your team doesn’t seem to understand that being “good negotiators” vs implying that you will destroy someone’s business built on your “open platform” are not the same thing.

That's probably a true statement, but who the heck actually considers Facebook to be any sort of "open platform" in the first place? Honestly, how many times have we seen this lesson re-iterated here on HN in the past few months: It is very dangerous to build a product that depends on a platform that someone else controls.

And this isn't a new lesson either... remember "DOS ain't done until Lotus won't run?" (And it doesn't really matter if Microsoft were actually breaking Lotus on purpose or not... the risk was - and still is - there, and has to be accounted for).

Re: Dear Mark Zuckerberg

#20

Post by jedberg »

tjic wrote: post #3

I don't understand what you think Facebook did wrong. They intend to enter this new space, using their technology and their people. As a courtesy they offered to hire you / throw a lot of money at you. What would you have had them do instead? Not compete with you, because you're a precious snow flake? Acquire you and treat you like a prima donna, giving you your own team and allowing you to take your own technical di…

I think his issue was that the meeting was in bad faith. He was under the impression that he would be demoing his technology so it could get visibility within Facebook, not walking into a negotiation.

If they had been upfront about their intentions with the meeting, he probably would have never gone.

  What do you think the purpose of the “platform developer relations” executive is?
  To advocate AGAINST Facebook and for random outside developers?
Actually, yes. Usually that is what someone in that position does. They are the advocate for the customer, to help the company see things from the customer's point of view.
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