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Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

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Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#121
post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meta reported revenue of $27.9 billion in Q1 2022. They will continue making billions from ads for decades even if the metaverse play goes nowhere. But if you believe that VR/AR is going to eventually go mainstream then Meta is positioned to be a player in that market, even if it’s just a 2nd or 3rd place player that’s potentially billions in additional revenue.

Ads are the past.

The entire internet subsists on ads. Even Amazon retail, a store that sells physical goods makes its profit selling ads. If anything they're only going to become more important as to internet becomes more accessible to low resource individuals around the world.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know anyone under 50 who actively uses Facebook.

That's in your local bubble. In some countries Facebook is no. 1 and on same level or even more important as Google Maps for businesses. Wished it was not the case though.

These kinds of changes always start in some sort of localized group or community. While it's wise to not assume that every small movement is going to turn into a large one, it's still worth paying attention to what's going on at the fringes so that you don't get caught with your pants down.

As another anecdote, Facebook has died out amongst my peer group, it used to be heavily used for event planning amongst friends but now it's been abandoned despite no good replacements in the wings because nobody is on Facebook to see your events. Instead we are back to using text messages and emails.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#123
post #73
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

Agreed that FB hasn’t actually proven they can build something from scratch that reaches critical mass. They would’ve have been long doomed had they not bought Instagram. Every other popular app eg Oculus and Whatsapp was also acquired.

A big company acquiring small things and developing them successfully is a pretty common tactic. Many of Google's product, if not most, were also from acquisitions. This includes Maps and YouTube, and some of the less successful ones were not acquired.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#124
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

I feel compelled to say that your second sentence is probably the funniest thing I've ever read on HN. It resonates very strongly with my belief that VR/Metaverse will continue to under deliver. What people want is an escape from reality. "Just like" Ready Player One or anything from a wide choice of science fiction novels. The problem is that these systems require a fundamental disconnect from reality. Not only do w…

VR Chat is Second Life 2.0. Horizon Worlds is shaping up to be VR Chat 0.8. People Make Games interviewed people in VR Chat [0] and gave great examples of how behind (intentionally in some cases, in terms of not having lower halves of avatars) Horizon Worlds appears to be.

[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PHT-zBxKQQ

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#125
I hadn't seen this before today, but NY Times claims that around a year ago (after the Jan 6th insurrection), Zuckerberg and Sandberg started to go their separate ways.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/business/mark-zuckerberg-...

"The pair continued their twice-weekly meetings, but Mr. Zuckerberg took over more of the areas once under her purview. He made the final call on issues surrounding Mr. Trump’s spread of hate speech and dangerous misinformation, decisions Ms. Sandberg often lobbied against or told allies she felt uncomfortable with. Mr. Zuckerberg oversaw efforts in Washington to fend off regulations and had forged a friendly relationship with Mr. Trump."

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#126

"Sitting by Mark’s side for these 14 years has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime. [...] In the critical moments of my life, in the highest highs and in the depths of true lows, I have never had to turn to Mark, because he was already there." If this is an accurate reflection of her experience, I don't expect it's a side of Mark Zuckerberg most of us imagine exists.

What a coincidence - wherever I go on the Internet, high or low, Mark Zuckerberg('s business) is already there.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#128
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

I don't know anyone under 50 who actively uses Facebook.

I see a lot of young people who end up creating (mostly empty) Facebook profiles jut to use the groups features or for events. There still isn't a good alternative to those on Intagram or other platforms, and my guess is as young people get older they start having to use Facebook in some way.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#129
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

Yahoo is still around but not as prominent. Could be the same with Meta.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#130
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

Just kind of seems like they're working on a very expensive, boring video game.

the AR thing sounds cool, but are people really going to pick the Meta one over the Apple or Google one?

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