"It doesn't seem very viral or income generating" a 2007 Dropbox Critique :)
Let's go back in time to 2007. The founder of a new saas app had created a software that lets you "throw away your USB drive."
The founder announced him solution called "Dropbox" on a site called Hacker News by linking to an article about how it works.
The first critique is pictured below.
Isn't it fun to see things like this where the critic was dead-wrong and the founder pushed through despite the doubters?
Doesn't it give you hope that maybe your idea ain't so crazy after all?
Doesn't it make you want to ignore the critics altogether?
Don't do it.
Don't ignore them.
You should care what others think.
Other people buy your product or tell others to.
Sometimes their critique is sound and helpful and it lets you see hurdles that were blinded by sometimes delusional optimism (or is it optimistic delusion?)
Wrong as he was, I have a lot of respect for the way this guy critiqued Dropbox's value proposition.
He didn't just say "that's dumb and won't make money"...
He gave technical reasons why and let the founder answer back in detail.
At the end, he wished him luck and hoped his critique was constructive.
There's lessons on both sides of this in how to be open to critique and how to give it constructively.
More than anything, I just think it's fun to time travel.
It's a good lesson on how seeking validation from places like Product Hunt, /r/startups, Hacker News or even this site is not necessarily indicative of anything. The critic was not wrong, in that Dropbox didn't do anything a tech-savvy Linux user couldn't do. But Dropbox was not aimed at tech-savvy Linux users. The only validation that matters at the end of the day is paying customers.
Reminded me when Slashdot covered the launch of iPod in 2001:
" No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame. "
https://slashdot.org/story/01/10/23/1816257/apple-releases-ipod
LOL so good
Another point is: don't worry too much about people stealing your idea. Most people will just say it's stupid until you become a huge success. haha
Also, ideas are worthless until implemented.
Love this. People like ragging on those who criticised a product that later turned out to be successful, but I think it's unfair. We need supporters, but we also need people that provide legit constructive criticism that force you to ask yourself questions and build a better product.
Hah, that’s great. Good find!
Dropbox didn't become profitable until the beginning of this year. And tbh they have ruined their product, i switched to 1drive.
You forgot to add the critique.
OMG I'm such an idiot! Thanks! Just added.
Nah, just human. 😊 (I hope!)