Silicon Valley Disrupts Its Own Ass

[thoreau]

A thread about Silicon Valley types crawling up their own asses and chowing down on what they find.

[thoreau]

Silicon Valley assholes vow to put corner stores out of business by installing vending machines in apartment lobbies.

http://fortune.com/2017/09/13/two-ex-go ... -bodega-2/

And by explicitly marketing it as an effort to put corner stores out of business, I'm sure this will in no way inspire a backlash.

[Warren]

Replicators or GTFO nerdlingers!

[Highway]

Yeah, cause the country with the highest number of vending machines per capita doesn't have any local convenience stores around... oh wait, they have tons of those, too.

[JasonL]

I find basically all arguments of the form "blah blah local thing should not have to face competition" eyeroll inducing. I don't think there's anything great about the startup really, but I could not possibly care less about effect of competition on local stores. I only care if the product they offer has value to me.

[dhex]

The name is so poorly chosen it feels like an onion article.

[thoreau]

It's not about whether they should have to face competition. It's about whether competition I'd a zero sum thing where you announce that you will destroy everyone else for your own growth, or whether it is about growing your own business, which may or may not hurt others. In the second model, sometimes your growth hurts others but sometimes it spurs consumer interest in the product and spurs suppliers to innovate in ways that benefit other companies as well. Talking about crushing businesses that consumers are fond of does nothing to earn good will. And it sells too many people on the false idea that competition is always zero sum.

[JasonL]

I'll accept that the marketing pitch is stupid. I just don't care one bit if someone actually has it in their heads to go after bodegas from a competitive standpoint.

[Warren]

The name is so poorly chosen it feels like an onion article.

Yeah? That's what they said about the iPad.

[thoreau]

I'll accept that the marketing pitch is stupid. I just don't care one bit if someone actually has it in their heads to go after bodegas from a competitive standpoint.

People have lots of things in their heads. You earn more good will if you are selective about which ones you voice.

Especially if your grand plan for world domination is a glorified vending machine

[thoreau]

The problem is that we see a lot of Silicon Valley Disruptor types with a pitch that amounts to:

"Hi. You know this thing that you like? Well I see it as a problem to be solved. By crushing it and everyone associated with it. And I will do it with a digital spin on an old idea. And you know it will work because I am a smart guy who wears sandals while working in a loft with a pinball machine. In fact, I am so smart that I dropped out of Stanford before I even got in. So watch me take over the world with a vending machine that will crush the guy down the street that you like. Because that Disruption is the best part of this!"

[Kolohe]

That's one thing that's so vexing. Back in the day, the disruptors always wanted to disrupt things, but they never said that out loud - that's how they were able to get away with it. For instance, most famously, Microsoft getting one over on IBM.

These Kids Today are all monologuing supervillians. Probably with capes. (Say what you will about Peter Thiel, but at least he's doing to Ozymandias thing and revealing the plans after the missles have been launched)

[nicole]

My thing with this (and many other "disruptions") is that I never got the memo on what was wrong with bodegas that will be improved by this. Your most likely bodega problem is simply not having one.

Also, are these things not going to sell tobacco? Because lol.

[the innominate one]

Are cigarette vending machines no longer a thing?

I wonder if tobacco in vending machines can be done by requiring a credit card, like internet porn.

[Highway]

That's one thing that's so vexing. Back in the day, the disruptors always wanted to disrupt things, but they never said that out loud - that's how they were able to get away with it. For instance, most famously, Microsoft getting one over on IBM.

These Kids Today are all monologuing supervillians. Probably with capes. (Say what you will about Peter Thiel, but at least he's doing to Ozymandias thing and revealing the plans after the missles have been launched)

and

My thing with this (and many other "disruptions") is that I never got the memo on what was wrong with bodegas that will be improved by this. Your most likely bodega problem is simply not having one.

Also, are these things not going to sell tobacco? Because lol.

Yeah, if you're going to go after something, don't tell people what's wrong with it. If you're fixing a problem, they should already know there's a problem. You shouldn't have to convince them that the thing you're "fixing" is actually a problem.

[thoreau]

Facebook keeps showing me an ad for some company whose product is never specified. All the ad says is that these photogenic and diverse MIT grads are going to disrupt a large industry. That's nice, but I won't be one of their customers if they won't tell me what they offer and why it is so great for me. They can put anyone that they want out of business and bully for them, but they won't get my money until I know what they have to offer me.

[thoreau]

And, yes, it is a shame if somebody somewhere has sympathy for a small business owner facing competition. Clearly they need to take an econ 101 class. But if you want to compete with them it would help to tell me what you will do for me, the customer.

[nicole]

Are cigarette vending machines no longer a thing?

I wonder if tobacco in vending machines can be done by requiring a credit card, like internet porn.

They can only be located in places that only admit those over 18.

[nicole]

Facebook keeps showing me an ad for some company whose product is never specified. All the ad says is that these photogenic and diverse MIT grads are going to disrupt a large industry. That's nice, but I won't be one of their customers if they won't tell me what they offer and why it is so great for me. They can put anyone that they want out of business and bully for them, but they won't get my money until I know what they have to offer me.

That ad is kind of a scam in terms of the photo is not of the founders of the company, which it's clearly trying to imply. This is a VERY friendly writeup, I can't find the one I read months ago that was NOT so friendly: https://digiday.com/marketing/mit-grads ... atic-fame/

[MJGreen]

My thing with this (and many other "disruptions") is that I never got the memo on what was wrong with bodegas that will be improved by this. Your most likely bodega problem is simply not having one.

Ahem. Human interaction?

[nicole]

My thing with this (and many other "disruptions") is that I never got the memo on what was wrong with bodegas that will be improved by this. Your most likely bodega problem is simply not having one.

Ahem. Human interaction?

Bodega owners have worked long and hard to minimize human interaction. I've known some for years whom I've never spoken to.

[Fin Fang Foom]

Bodegas often make the best basic cold cut sandwiches.

[thoreau]

Facebook keeps showing me an ad for some company whose product is never specified. All the ad says is that these photogenic and diverse MIT grads are going to disrupt a large industry. That's nice, but I won't be one of their customers if they won't tell me what they offer and why it is so great for me. They can put anyone that they want out of business and bully for them, but they won't get my money until I know what they have to offer me.

That ad is kind of a scam in terms of the photo is not of the founders of the company, which it's clearly trying to imply. This is a VERY friendly writeup, I can't find the one I read months ago that was NOT so friendly: https://digiday.com/marketing/mit-grads ... atic-fame/

Even after reading that friendly write-up, all I know is that Everquote sells car insurance, was founded by MIT grads, and uses photogenic female employees for ads. That's nice. But what I'd really like to know is what makes their service worth using.

Actually, on second thought, I don't want to know. Their disinterest in making useful information easy to obtain is itself a type of useful information.

[nicole]

Facebook keeps showing me an ad for some company whose product is never specified. All the ad says is that these photogenic and diverse MIT grads are going to disrupt a large industry. That's nice, but I won't be one of their customers if they won't tell me what they offer and why it is so great for me. They can put anyone that they want out of business and bully for them, but they won't get my money until I know what they have to offer me.

That ad is kind of a scam in terms of the photo is not of the founders of the company, which it's clearly trying to imply. This is a VERY friendly writeup, I can't find the one I read months ago that was NOT so friendly: https://digiday.com/marketing/mit-grads ... atic-fame/

Even after reading that friendly write-up, all I know is that Everquote sells car insurance, was founded by MIT grads, and uses photogenic female employees for ads. That's nice. But what I'd really like to know is what makes their service worth using.

Actually, on second thought, I don't want to know. Their disinterest in making useful information easy to obtain is itself a type of useful information.

Yeah, and they also don't actually sell car insurance.

[the innominate one]

Their disinterest in making useful information easy to obtain is itself a type of useful information.

indubitably