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A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)

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Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)

#481

Post by EGreg »

cryptozeus wrote: post #248

Kudos to the guy for bouncing back though !! “After losing everything, he toiled in misery for years — but he eventually made an improbable comeback. In 1997, he took out a £155k (US$203k) loan on his house, built up a health club business, and sold it for £3.9m (US$5.1m). He then used the profits to start an online jewelry company. (The Ratners Group rebranded as Signet in 1993; today, it is the largest diamond reta…

Where do you imagine this fits in?

Just today

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/juul-ceo-kevin-burns-tells-non-...

Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)

#482

Post by fuzz4lyfe »

dabbledash wrote: post #374
fuzz4lyfe wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So if we priced airlines in regards to all of their externalities, they would have to pay for climate change but would get a portion of the all revenue derived by business trips (ie. the time saved traveling by air compared to other modes of transport and what the employees traveling would have been able to produce during that time). I wonder if they would end up better off under that system.

They’re already capturing those benefits - they are among the reasons customers buy tickets and thus contribute to the price. I’m sure positive externalities are a thing, but direct benefits to one party in a transaction aren’t externalities.

In the same sense the climate change effects are also priced in as most people in the west use air travel or add enough carbon via other means to have to be personally responsible for any ill effects.

Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)

#483

Post by tim333 »

sersi wrote: post #346
tim333 wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an occasional Ryanair user they don't really treat you like cattle and he doesn't seem to despise his customers though if certain ones piss him off he won't necessarily cover that up. People are so snobby about it - I'd never fly a cheap service with cheap people - I'm better than that kind of vibe. Ryanair is run kind of like a bus service really - pay modest money and they ship you from A to B.

I flew only once with Ryan air, my experience was that I was forced to pay 80 gbp because I hadn't checked in online (when no other airlines force you to do that) and they had us all wait on the tarmac under the rain for 45 minutes before boarding. Plus seats were really cramped. So, no not worth it for the slight difference of price they offer.

They can be a bit crap like that but I think I've been stung by a similar fee (luggage small print) about once in 50 flights so it still works out cheaper than most rivals. Choosing to delay your return by a day is also often expensive.

Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)

#484

Post by st1ck »

jdietrich wrote: post #125

Michael O'Leary being incredibly rude is a key part of Ryanair's branding. If you're paying £19 for a two hour flight, you'll always have the sneaking suspicion that the airline is skimping on maintenance. O'Leary makes it absolutely clear that they save money by treating their passengers like cattle. He carefully cultivates the image of a man who utterly despises his own customers, but is far too miserly to allow an…

Ryanair goes quite farther than just no-frills. They are actively preying on unprepared travellers for additional charges: 48-hour online check-in window, seats allocated in a way that you don't sit together with your partner/family, non-EU citizens must _print_ boarding passes event if airport and other LCCs don't require this.

Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)

#485

Post by Gibbon1 »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #447
Gibbon1 wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Costume jewellery, designer clothes, some kinds of art, all derive their value from the story the creators tell. As a young lady my GF used to sell her handmade costume Jewelry on the street in New York. She said the key to selling was a card with a story. That was the difference between selling a brooch made of glass, brass and random bits held together with glue for $10-20 and not selling at all. Things are diffe…

>I feel like that's Apple products too. I don't buy Apple products for its story. I buy Apple products because I don't have to spend time doing tech support/dealing with malware for my parents and if something breaks I can go get a replacement at the Apple store immediately.

That's exactly what I tried to convey. The selling point is functional with a reliable lack of hassle.

Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)

#486

Post by aembleton »

fnord123 wrote: post #423
arcturus17 wrote: post #385

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lululemon has a weak presence in many parts of the EU and we still have people wear gym clothes in their normal lives...

Athleisure was born in Europe in the 80s (shell suits). But lululemon has like 5 shops in total in the continent (Amsterdam, Paris, Zurich, Frankfurt, Berlin).

It has one in Manchester so I imagine it has many more cities than that.

Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)

#487

Post by dumbfoundded »

natalyarostova wrote: post #258
toomuchtodo wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Signaling is the effort through which you participate in a shared delusion.

It's not (necessarily) a delusion though, because it is something rational non-deluded people would do. For example, to use a really simple toy example, if you're a man then buying an expensive ring for a women is a credible signal of commitment. Why? Because you can't fake the sacrifice of 6 months of sacrificed work in order to buy a ring for her. If you're a man who wants a wife, this is a clear level headed choic…

It's a rational move in a crazy delusional game created by the marketing department of a diamond company about 100 years ago. By doing such, you are simply perpetuating the delusion.

Sometimes it makes rational, logical sense to play the game. It's a form of intentional stupidity. Forgoing your rationality to get the things you want. If you ever worked at a large enough company, I'm sure you understand.

Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)

#488

Post by perl4ever »

seph-reed wrote: post #381
perl4ever wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being "edgy" is a symptom of still having a mindset that there are railings between you and the abyss, and/or someone whose purpose in life is to tackle you before you go over the "edge". Believing that you can avoid it in the long run, while fearing you're not an adult if you stay where it's safe.

There are some interesting adventures over the edge.

Once you've been there, you no longer focus on the boundary so much. Because the tension between going over vs not going over is resolved.

Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)

#489

Post by earth_walker »

seem_2211 wrote: post #139
sudhirj wrote: post #8

This is really applicable to any products that are valued based on their marketing efforts instead of intrinsic value or utility. Costume jewellery, designer clothes, some kinds of art, all derive their value from the story the creators tell. The most expensive art seems to be that which has the most thoroughly verified, or at least the most believable story. I like to think I’d prefer Apple products over the competi…

Price, value and practical utility are not really correlated. A Rolex and a Timex will both tell you the time. An iPhone and a $129 Android will do mostly similar things. A Toyota Camry and a Porsche will both get you to work. But practical utility and value aren't necessarily the most important thing. Apple intuitively understood this, at a time when other computer companies didn't. Lots of people look at a Macbook…

Except, of course, that while a Toyota has an excellent reputation for reliability, a Porsche not so much. So the latter may not get you to work at all.

But you'll look damn good sitting at the side of the road...

Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)

#490

Post by tbyehl »

gdy wrote: post #406
tbyehl wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can debate if Lewinsky was a victim of Clinton but she absolutely was a victim of Linda Tripp, who had her own vendetta against the Clintons. Tripp manipulated her, secretly recorded their conversations, lied, betrayed her confidences, and served her up to the machinery that was working to take down Clinton.

I almost agree, but Tripp didn't put that blue dress in the freezer.

When Lewinsky told Tripp that she wanted to have the dress cleaned, Tripp manipulated her into preserving it.
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