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	<title>HipMojo.com</title>
	<link>http://watchmojo.com/web/blog</link>
	<description>Covering Online Video, Web, Search, Investing, Technology, Strategy, Investing, M&#038;A, Financing, VCs</description>
	<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:17:03 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>Will Mark Zuckerberg&#8217;s Ego and Hubris Take Down Facebook?</title>
		<link>http://watchmojo.com/web/blog/index.php/2007/12/01/will-mark-zuckerbergs-ego-and-hubris-take-down-facebook/</link>
		<comments>http://watchmojo.com/web/blog/index.php/2007/12/01/will-mark-zuckerbergs-ego-and-hubris-take-down-facebook/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 Dec 2007 18:16:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ashkan Karbasfrooshan</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Internet &#038; Web]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Facebook.com]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Online Advertising]]></category>
<category>Facebook.com</category><category>Internet &amp;#038; Web</category><category>Online Advertising</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://watchmojo.com/web/blog/?p=2319</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I probably need to dust off my microeconomics books to better understand the nuance between edgeconomy and massconomy (I guess those are seats between First Class and Economy?), but interesting nonetheless:
The point is: in the edgeconomy, business models happen. The days of business model fascism are over.
Business models can no longer be planned in an [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I probably need to dust off my microeconomics books to better understand the nuance between edgeconomy and massconomy (I guess those are seats between First Class and Economy?), but <a href="http://www.bubblegeneration.com/2007/12/industry-note-more-evil-than-evil.cfm" target="_blank">interesting</a> nonetheless:</p>
<blockquote><p>The point is: in the edgeconomy, business models <span style="font-style: italic">happen</span>. The days of business model fascism are over.</p>
<p><strong>Business models can no longer be planned in an ivory-tower boardrooms, announced by grand decree, pushed through the value chain by inert market power, shoved down helpless, hapless consumers&#8217; throats, and left inert for the next century</strong>.</p>
<p>That approach to commerce is as obsolete as a mainframe or a Model T Ford. <strong>And the venture guys, CEOs, etc who don&#8217;t get it are great at killing their companies dead</strong>.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s why I keep making the fundamental point - Facebook&#8217;s DNA was built for the massconomy. Unfortunately, Facebook is at the forefront of the edgeconomy. This fundamental strategic mismatch is why Facebook&#8217;s problems are growing - and will continue to accelerate.</p></blockquote>
<p>I agree with the boldfaced part&#8230; I&#8217;m not sure I&#8217;d give Facebook and its backers that much credit re: their gameplan for advertising.  The fact is Mark Zuckerberg is a programmer who borrowed his main idea from many before him and a wide array of factors including luck, simplicity and timing propelled him and Facebook under the limelight&#8230;</p>
<p>Mind you, beyond those factors, comes Zuckerberg&#8217;s ambition and drive, according to a controversial <a href="http://www.02138mag.com/magazine/article/1724-2.html" target="_blank">article </a>in a Harvard magazine:</p>
<blockquote><p>What can [explain Facebook&#8217;s success], in large part, is Zuckerberg. Tales of Zuckerberg forgoing food to program through the night are near legendary. He coded facemash in a two-day, half-drunk frenzy, according to his online journal. “I haven’t really eaten all day,” he wrote. “My diet and sleeping patterns really go to shit when I have a coding project &#8230; or when I don’t.”</p></blockquote>
<p>But, with ambition and drive, sometimes comes hubris, too.</p>
<p>This is probably the fourth big mistake - or mishandling of an opportunity - he&#8217;s made in the past 12 months alone.</p>
<p>Mistake #1 was the way the news feeds was announced.  Yes, today it is a great add-on but it had to be scaled back and modified after users cried foul.</p>
<p>Mistake #2 was the FB apps and FB fund.  Yes, the concept of a platform is great, but devoid of utility (ironically) the apps are largely useless and only create noise.  It&#8217;s why I spend far less time on Facebook than I did a few months ago (and I was never a heavy user).  The point is: it killed my user experience.  That was the FB apps, the FB fund was a f-up from the get-go.  It showed a lack of experience and common sense.</p>
<p>Mistake #3 was Beacon, from beginning to end.  This isn&#8217;t the end, because <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/coke-is-holding-off-on-sipping-facebooks-beacon/" target="_blank">Coke balking</a> at the program is really just the beginning of the bad news from mainstreet, and Madison Avenue.</p>
<p>Mistake #4 was the MSFT investment: $240M for a 1.6% stake is great, but at a paper value of $15B, Facebook is going to have a hard time yielding an actual exit.  An IPO is impossible at given revenue, profit levels and lack of business plan; and M&amp;A is off the table too as MSFT will you-know-what block any deal by Google, Yahoo!, News Corp. etc. and not have any reason to pull the trigger itself&#8230;</p>
<p>The backdrop of all of this, is that (at least when VCs Accel, Meritech and Greylock came on board), Mark Zuckerberg put in a clause that the board could not replace Mark Zuckerberg as CEO.  Problem is, even Yahoo! made room for Tim Koogle and Google made room for Eric Schmidt.  I&#8217;m not sure who really gets the credit for YHOO and GOOG&#8217;s success, but at present rate, unless Zuckerberg gets an injection of humility and common sense, I know who will be blamed for Facebook&#8217;s Friendsterization.</p>
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