Twitter Plans Hundreds More Job Cuts as Soon as This Week • Hacker News Board

Re: Twitter Plans Hundreds More Job Cuts as Soon as This Week

#51

Post by niftich » Tue, Oct 25, 2016, 1:47 AM UTC

throw2016 wrote: post #28

There is value in twitter. Even the people who joke about twitter probably realise there is value in it. There is still nothing that enables one to broadcast information and enable real time conversations better than twitter for companies, governments orgs or celebrities. That twitter cannot extract value from these cash rich and price insensitive entities is a gigantic mystery.

It's risky -- it's hard to compete with 'free', because it takes no money and very little effort.

If Twitter charges even just a little for influencers to post, lots of them will just shift more of their announcements to Facebook status updates -- a somewhat similar feature of the other social app everyone already has installed.

Despite no one platform offering exact feature+UX parity with Twitter, there are several other free platforms that are good enough for people. If Twitter makes changes that make posting on it harder, its still-organically-growing competitors could see an influx of people who will choose to abandon Twitter.

Re: Twitter Plans Hundreds More Job Cuts as Soon as This Week

#52

Post by shas3 » Tue, Oct 25, 2016, 1:48 AM UTC

Overtonwindow wrote: post #27

nameisu wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a third party app which would not show promoted tweets? they are so annoying and un related

What about repetitive tweets? I stopped following so many publications because they would post an article link, then repeatedly change the title or the catch and post the same link. Very frustrating.

The Economist, for one, has a "The Economist, Once" account that only tweets articles once, when they are published!

Re: Twitter Plans Hundreds More Job Cuts as Soon as This Week

#53

Post by ryanSrich » Tue, Oct 25, 2016, 1:48 AM UTC

Overtonwindow wrote: post #31

Something I've never been able to wrap my head around is how does Twitter make money? I mean real money. Not valuation of eyeballs, not VC cash, but honest to God profit? It has always baffled me and I wish I knew what the unicorns say to the VC's when (hopefully) someone asks this question.

Ads. Pretty incredible right?

Re: Twitter Plans Hundreds More Job Cuts as Soon as This Week

#54

Post by shard972 » Tue, Oct 25, 2016, 1:48 AM UTC

niftich wrote: post #39

Overtonwindow wrote: post #31

Something I've never been able to wrap my head around is how does Twitter make money? I mean real money. Not valuation of eyeballs, not VC cash, but honest to God profit? It has always baffled me and I wish I knew what the unicorns say to the VC's when (hopefully) someone asks this question.

Selling display ads (ie. the same way Facebook and Google have done and succeeded)

Didn't twitter say years ago they had a business model plan that didn't revolve around advertising?

Re: Twitter Plans Hundreds More Job Cuts as Soon as This Week

#55

Post by tossaway1 » Tue, Oct 25, 2016, 1:49 AM UTC

harryh wrote: post #45

Analemma_ wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know that they're "liable" in the sense that people could win a shareholder suit- the bar for those is set pretty high and I doubt Twitter would qualify. My comment was more in response to the accusations that the market is somehow being "unfair" for "punishing" Twitter's lack of continued growth. They're only punishing Twitter for failing to meet the expectations Twitter itself set.

Even the word punishing is really too strong. The stock market isn't making a moral judgement. It's merely an estimate of the value of the company. As twitter's growth prospects decrease the value of the company goes down.

That's what "punishing" means when people use it in the context of stock prices.

Re: Twitter Plans Hundreds More Job Cuts as Soon as This Week

#56

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Oct 25, 2016, 1:49 AM UTC

artursapek wrote: post #6

I've always sort of had this question that continues to feel naive - but I'm not sure I know the answer: why do so many companies feel like they have to grow perpetually? Why can't Twitter just be happy being Twitter, knowing its limits and making a stable profit? Instead it's more users, more VC money, more staff... constantly burning as quickly as possible. There's a ceiling on every business; it's all bound to com…

[deleted]

Re: Twitter Plans Hundreds More Job Cuts as Soon as This Week

#57

Post by matchagaucho » Tue, Oct 25, 2016, 1:49 AM UTC

artursapek wrote: post #6

I've always sort of had this question that continues to feel naive - but I'm not sure I know the answer: why do so many companies feel like they have to grow perpetually? Why can't Twitter just be happy being Twitter, knowing its limits and making a stable profit? Instead it's more users, more VC money, more staff... constantly burning as quickly as possible. There's a ceiling on every business; it's all bound to com…

They're shedding costs in anticipation of delivering poor subscriber and revenue numbers this Thursday.

If the stock falls below $10, pretty much any company can swoop in and buy them for a song.

Re: Twitter Plans Hundreds More Job Cuts as Soon as This Week

#58

Post by harryh » Tue, Oct 25, 2016, 1:50 AM UTC

tossaway1 wrote: post #55

harryh wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even the word punishing is really too strong. The stock market isn't making a moral judgement. It's merely an estimate of the value of the company. As twitter's growth prospects decrease the value of the company goes down.

That's what "punishing" means when people use it in the context of stock prices.

Ya I know. I just don't like it because of the moral context that normally comes with that word. I hear you though.

Re: Twitter Plans Hundreds More Job Cuts as Soon as This Week

#59

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Oct 25, 2016, 1:51 AM UTC

artursapek wrote: post #6

I've always sort of had this question that continues to feel naive - but I'm not sure I know the answer: why do so many companies feel like they have to grow perpetually? Why can't Twitter just be happy being Twitter, knowing its limits and making a stable profit? Instead it's more users, more VC money, more staff... constantly burning as quickly as possible. There's a ceiling on every business; it's all bound to com…

[deleted]

Re: Twitter Plans Hundreds More Job Cuts as Soon as This Week

#60

Post by nostromo » Tue, Oct 25, 2016, 1:51 AM UTC

artursapek wrote: post #6

I've always sort of had this question that continues to feel naive - but I'm not sure I know the answer: why do so many companies feel like they have to grow perpetually? Why can't Twitter just be happy being Twitter, knowing its limits and making a stable profit? Instead it's more users, more VC money, more staff... constantly burning as quickly as possible. There's a ceiling on every business; it's all bound to com…

Lots of companies don't grow and do fine.

But if your current value is based on a huge amount of projected growth, then going to "no growth" will be hugely painful for investors, founders, and employees.