Big startups: born to die?

Hi, IT-giants! In this post, i want to ask you about your services. But I somehow sure, that this questions will stay without answers. Ok, you created a services and algorithms, create colossal by the architecture databases, birth hundred and thousands a bots and scripts, which collect many data about your users. You make many process around this and in chase of money you forget about one important thing - users. This is not surprising - you see in your iMac monitors and see your users as a portion of a statistic. 5 550 000 visitors and 10 350 000 page views, NN-goals in one day. What is this for you? Who is this person? Why do they see only 10 350 000 pages? Why not more? What they need and how they find it? And you know, I'm talking not about digital analytic. You don't see users as users.

You put up with it. However, as your users. But its temporary

And I know, what do you say in your justification. Big scale, big money, big boss and big decisions.

Come on...

Confess yourself - you don't interest what really want and need your users. You use your users derivatives - data, content, needs, etc. Year after year you sell your services for users and sell your users. And what you give instead? The same functionality that you have been at the time when you were carrying the flag of victory?

By the way, how do you think, do you feel this flag in your hand now?

It is scary ti understand, but you know as nobody better - your service can be unnecessary... in any day. And I know, that you have a largest analytic department with guys in glasses, which send many reports to you every day. Do you see in this reports some Risks chap.: "The project will lose an irreplaceable part of the user as a result of unexpected success side project of third parties"? What do we talking about? Little examples - you know about Skype web-version? They created and publish this features only after a moment when they ceased to deny the success of Slack. Guys from Microsoft long time understanding, that their child can be changed to simple web-browser bookmark. Why you eagerly and quickly buy more or less successful startups with more 100, 000 users? I guess (and I can mistake) - you buy this startups and think, that you control something more and save you business. If I right, I think - you wrong.

Ideas are worth nothing. But they are priceless

This is my favorite phrase. Why are you afraid to experiment and try new things? You say, that this is a "just business". Ok, get a quick example. You find 100 interested startups. Giving their $200k each. Grow projects, grow teams, grow expertise, grow all your teams. 100 x 200 = just f***ckin $20 mln. Ok, not 20. 50 million dollars. For 100 best and a great idea. Is it expensive? Pls, remind me, how much was bought Instagram? But you afraid. Afraid to start projects with zero or destroy and develop. Afraid cardinal changes. Real experiments, not A/B-tests. And you like to talk about customer service on conferences, but only some do this.

And this is what is ruining some of your projects

"The Board of Directors, shareholders, management - our hands are tied, and that you even know about this, guy?" Oops, did I know how to read minds. I am wrong. You take such decisions. But only when it is not avoided. And often, it's too late, and not a big difference. And here is the board of directors, shareholders and management are not such a big problem, yes, guys? Listen to your users. They will tell you that they need (and future millions of users). Do not be afraid to offer them something completely new. Do not be afraid to surprise your competition. And if you know what they need, they will come to you and bring their friends. Absolutely free.