Live data from Hacker News

Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

cnbc.com

251–260 of 619 posts

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#251

"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.

> I have never had to turn to Mark, because he was already there

I've not read anything (else?) Mrs Sandberg has (or hasn't) written, but this turn of phrase has a "professional" feel & taste. It's contrived. It's not something you would say about someone truly dear to you, your best friend, your parents, etc.

Maybe your dog.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#252
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…

> The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. We should not confuse the technology with the use case. Once you are the standard-bearer on technology, any future use case is something you can easily piggyback and dominate. E.g. early versions of iPhone did not support NFC payments, while some competitor models did. Nevertheless, Apple Pay is fai…

> Nevertheless, Apple Pay is fairly dominant.

I ran stats on an event I wrote software for, Apple Pay was 70%+ of all 1-click checkouts, Google Pay was under 30%. I was a little shocked at the difference though after spending more time trying to develop for Google Pay I can't help but wonder if that factors in. That and them renaming it every other week and removing features, it's a dumpster fire here in the US from what I can see. I've only ever seen my friends use Samsung Pay on their Androids.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook was always doomed for failure, just like every social platform that came before it. The pivot should've happened years ago with a focus on Instagram and content creation (their shot at streaming was at least in the right direction). At this point, Facebook has simply waited entirely too long, and the likelihood of any pivot working for a company of their size is basically nonexistent.

> ... was always doomed for failure You could also say that "they won" and there's no where to go but down now. Nothing can grow forever and things that try are known, in the biological domain, as cancers or infestations. There's quite a few corporations that "won" their market, so they're primed for a decline-- if you can still even call it that after enough people made more money than god and retired.

Facebook having such a bad rep across the board of people did not help at all. Like why is FB not doing any major enterprise initiative or cloud computing? Especially now with their stock dropping, having another $100B in value would help a lot.

They haven’t monetized Messenger or WhatsApp much either. Maybe they can’t or it won’t ever be enough. Less than billions in profit won’t help much. Which does make them having won and are now going down seem more correct.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

>What people want is an escape from reality. I still don't understand what's the difference between MMOs and Metaverse. Like it's on mobile? That's all? Peak WoW _was_ a social network something Zuck is dreaming about (and that's while you also have to pay a monthly sub). I've read around and some people say that the difference people can _create content_ in Metaverse but... sandbox MMOs are also a thing for a long t…

The difference is that you play with your whole body, not just your fingers. You can duck for cover, or run, or kick and punch someone, or construct an item with your hands. It’s immersive and it could take gaming to a whole other level.

This is what AR and games are all about. Not necessarily what Meta wants to build.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#255
post #206
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…

> they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. It's fun to see people demanding more moderation and berating excessive moderation in FB, regularly, on this very forum.

Despite what is often implied, there are in fact multiple people with different opinions posting on this site.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#256
post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VR only underdelivers when compared to full emergence. You don't need a television when you have a VR headset. I think that Meta's headsets will be the the consoles for the next generation because TV sets are not a given anymore. So a console becomes more expensive because you have to also buy a television.

I have to say, that based on my family and friends who I occasionally watch TV shows and movies with, I'm the only person who is able to focus on the TV screen without my phone in sight. Everyone else I know is constantly half-listening, half-watching, while simultaneously browsing IG, Zillow, YT, TikTok, etc. I think our very real phone addictions are going to play an adverse role in VR adoption until the VR app spa…

Powerful insight. And the tech giants own phone addiction - as a product and data source - also slows the progress of all AR and VR efforts.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#257
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…

> What people want is an escape from reality.

I don't think this is even broadly true. We just locked everyone in their houses for the pandemic and people hated it. They want to get out and do stuff and see the world. Not sit on a couch with a screen strapped to their face.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#258
post #41

> Mark’s belief that people would put their real selves online to connect with other people was so mesmerizing that we stood by that door and talked for the rest of the night. Real selves, ha! More like jealousy (and other negative emotions) evoking versions of selves.

Some people experience so much of their reality through a screen that I wonder if maybe their online version is effectively their "real" self.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first week I had the Quest I thought it was the most game changing device of my entire life. Especially during the pandemic it was incredible to transport to another world. I was long a nay-sayer on VR but then completely changed my mind, I couldn't shut up to all my friends about how incredible an experience it was... That wore off less than a month later. Even in a house it takes up too much space to use. Using…

> The first week I had the Quest I thought it was the most game changing device of my entire life. Did you own a Quest or Quest 2? Quest 2 is noticeably better. > That wore off less than a month later. A major use case for me is cardio exercise. Imo the Quest 2 is better than a Peleton for the variety of workouts. Many games are low key fitness apps. This is what keeps me coming back. I’ve lost 20 lbs so far with the…

> 1. Meta is still a toxic brand. Slightly less toxic than FB, but it still prevents a lot of early adopters from even trying it

If Facebook wasn't behind it I would probably own a Quest 2 (even though I'll buy Apple's VR headset at release) but as-is I won't touch that with a 10' pole.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#260

"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.

Having spent a couple of years at Facebook, I was honestly surprised by how different Zuckerberg is vs the outside perception. Now, I wasn't part of his inner circle or whatever, but in his weekly Q&As he came off very thoughtful, well-rounded, human, at times opinionated, and willing to engage on any topic. He fought to keep the weekly sessions going despite the leaks, something Google gave up on as I understand. Zuck has his faults, but a robotic, non-empathetic humanoid he is not. He struck me as a strong introvert that over time got comfortable communicating with his growing organization. I don't think he's ever gotten comfortable communicating with the rest of the world (and admitted as much). Ironic that he's in charge of a communication service.
Post reply on HN