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WhatsApp co-founder accuses Facebook of trading privacy for revenue

dailymail.co.uk

31–40 of 76 posts

Re: WhatsApp co-founder accuses Facebook of trading privacy for revenue

#31

With the proposed 1$/yr/user it is going to take around 19 years to become profitable (with 1bn paid users). Facebook obviously wants a return earlier. The founder did take those billions, so not sure what he was expecting to happen, ads looks like the only business model to turn profit quickly in this sort of business. Besides, there are so many people using WhatsApp in developing countries that wouldn't pay if they…

> ads looks like the only business model to turn profit quickly in this sort of business.

Tencent makes relatively little from ads in Wechat. They earn most from games and payment fees.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder accuses Facebook of trading privacy for revenue

#32
post #7

I just want to say, if I were in his position, I would also trade my company for sweet millions of dollars. But at least I would not constantly call out the people I sold it to, as if my words had any meaning at that point. Also, it's frustrating to me, to see how it's seemingly impossible to care about the users AND have enough users bringing in revenue at the same time so that you are never in a position where big…

I see nothing hypocritical about good people taking payment from evil people. “Payment” means that the resources of the payer go down, and the resources of the payee go up. Now Facebook have less money that they can use to influence the world in stupid/evil ways, and the WhatsApp founders have more money they can use to influence the world in good ways. And, in exchange, since Facebook now owns the service of WhatsAp…

This is silly. There is zero reason why Facebook can’t slowly erode whatever features of WhatsApp that don’t conform to the Facebook plan. They own it now.

If you want to make moral stands and gestures, don’t sell out. It’s not that complicated.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder accuses Facebook of trading privacy for revenue

#33
post #27

I just want to say, if I were in his position, I would also trade my company for sweet millions of dollars. But at least I would not constantly call out the people I sold it to, as if my words had any meaning at that point. Also, it's frustrating to me, to see how it's seemingly impossible to care about the users AND have enough users bringing in revenue at the same time so that you are never in a position where big…

It mentioned in the article that it wasn't solely his choice to sell. Turning down a $16 billion exit is not something you could easily justify to investors and he probably would have been sued if he had.

Also he probably realised that eventually Facebook would just clone what he’d built and then he would have absolutely no say in how things are done, it’s just to easy too criticise.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder accuses Facebook of trading privacy for revenue

#34
post #7

I just want to say, if I were in his position, I would also trade my company for sweet millions of dollars. But at least I would not constantly call out the people I sold it to, as if my words had any meaning at that point. Also, it's frustrating to me, to see how it's seemingly impossible to care about the users AND have enough users bringing in revenue at the same time so that you are never in a position where big…

I see nothing hypocritical about good people taking payment from evil people. “Payment” means that the resources of the payer go down, and the resources of the payee go up. Now Facebook have less money that they can use to influence the world in stupid/evil ways, and the WhatsApp founders have more money they can use to influence the world in good ways. And, in exchange, since Facebook now owns the service of WhatsAp…

> and the WhatsApp founders have more money they can use to influence the world in good ways

Yes, let's hope they start a privacy-centric messenger to fix this mess! I kid, but money is worthless, it's the things it can get that matter - what thing could they get that would better help privacy than being in charge of the top messenger?

Re: WhatsApp co-founder accuses Facebook of trading privacy for revenue

#35
post #4

The irony of this being published on The Daily Mail , one of the English language publishing world's absolute shoddiest sensationalist tabloids.

Daily Mail is a bad newspaper but it's nowhere near being "world's absolute shoddiest sensationalist tabloids". If you don't live in the UK then I think you have no idea how bad many newspapers are in other countries. Specifically the Daily Mail has to abide by the UK press regulation body, which limits its ability to publish fake stories. Try travelling abroad and seeing what some non-UK newspapers are like!

Re: WhatsApp co-founder accuses Facebook of trading privacy for revenue

#36
post #28

I just want to say, if I were in his position, I would also trade my company for sweet millions of dollars. But at least I would not constantly call out the people I sold it to, as if my words had any meaning at that point. Also, it's frustrating to me, to see how it's seemingly impossible to care about the users AND have enough users bringing in revenue at the same time so that you are never in a position where big…

Maybe Facebook assured him that they wouldn't destroy its privacy. And maybe he believed them. Or maybe he realized that the design was fscked. And so figured that he'd take the money, and do it right. Edit: It seems that he had no choice, as imgabe notes.

> Maybe Facebook assured him that they wouldn't destroy its privacy

It would be odd/irresponsible if they valued "assurances" in any way (that weren't legally binding)

Re: WhatsApp co-founder accuses Facebook of trading privacy for revenue

#37
The minute you take investors money, whether seed, convertible debt, series A, then you are not the only boss anymore. You KNOW you will not be able to be independant and stick it to the man.

That's a very important decision, very early. And once you make it, you can't change it.

The decision to agree to sell to FB was made when they took their first seed money.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder accuses Facebook of trading privacy for revenue

#38
post #16

I just want to say, if I were in his position, I would also trade my company for sweet millions of dollars. But at least I would not constantly call out the people I sold it to, as if my words had any meaning at that point. Also, it's frustrating to me, to see how it's seemingly impossible to care about the users AND have enough users bringing in revenue at the same time so that you are never in a position where big…

You mean billions, but yes I agree

It's a weird choice of voice, I reckon. In German, the English word "Billion" translates to "Milliarde", and the English word "Trillion" translates to "Billione".

So, in my head, millions feels closer to billions than billions does. It's weird.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder accuses Facebook of trading privacy for revenue

#39

I just want to say, if I were in his position, I would also trade my company for sweet millions of dollars. But at least I would not constantly call out the people I sold it to, as if my words had any meaning at that point. Also, it's frustrating to me, to see how it's seemingly impossible to care about the users AND have enough users bringing in revenue at the same time so that you are never in a position where big…

> But at least I would not constantly call out the people I sold it to, as if my words had any meaning at that point. I can shed some light on this phenomenon. I've been in the situation where we sold half our company to someone who was also active in the same branch as us. When the sale happened we were convinced we were going to do great things together! Take over the world, so to say. As time progressed we (the fo…

Me and a friend we didn't have money but we had a great plan for a company, which already after a year was making a profit. But we needed some investor in the beginning and a friend of my friend just made a lot of money buying and selling a flat in Stockholm and he wanted to invest in us. So he got 51% of the shares and we would get money to start.

We two started the company, started making profits after one year and started growing. It was a great time back then, especially as one of the first companies which could make small iPhone apps for other companies. We had so much to do.

But after some time, I think it was about 2 years after we started, the guy who invested the money needed it back, but because we were growing and invested back into the company we ourselves didn't have the money yet to pay him back. This is when he sold his 51% shares to a guy who nobody of us knew.

Which was the beginning of the end of our company, because in direct contrast, suddenly we weren't in the driving seat anymore but that new guy who had completely different ideas what to do with the company. He also screw us up on a personal level and we hated his guts for that, which didn't help or a professional level. And because he already had more than enough money he started using this company as a way to avoid taxes more than to deliver great products to customers.

We still tried hard, but after 2 years my friend left and shortly after that me and the other two devs too, which left him the sales guys and the accountant.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder accuses Facebook of trading privacy for revenue

#40
post #19
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see nothing hypocritical about good people taking payment from evil people. “Payment” means that the resources of the payer go down, and the resources of the payee go up. Now Facebook have less money that they can use to influence the world in stupid/evil ways, and the WhatsApp founders have more money they can use to influence the world in good ways. And, in exchange, since Facebook now owns the service of WhatsAp…

It really doesn't though. Facebook paid for WhatsApp because it was worth more to them than money. Their resources and influence have increased .

So they believe.
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