Make Indie Hackers independent again
The whole "Stripe + Indiehackers sitting in a tree" seems a bit of a mismarriage to me.
Indiehackers
Created by Courtland Allen in 2016 to serve the community of independent makers.
"That means you're generating revenue directly from your customers, not indirectly through an employer. Other than that, there are no requirements!"
Courtland reportedly built the business to around $6K MRR. A figure many IH members are currently aspiring to achieve.
It was doing well. So well that Stripe acquired it.
Values
I don't know Courtland but he seems a stand-up guy. MIT grad, personable, professional, motivated. If I was Stripe I would certainly want him as an employee.
People who join IH stay because their values align.
Like Courtland, many IH members are in fulltime employment. They come to the forum to share their ideas, their hopes of becoming an independent or just to be part of a dialogue that seems different and inspiring.
Stripe
Stripe is valued at $36 Billion or so. The founders around $4 Billion. Those numbers may be off a little but they are in the right ballpark.
Stripe acquired IH to:
"ensure that the site becomes as successful as possible."
So nothing nefarious to see here.
Stripe simply wants IH to help more companies become successful (because that means more companies are likely to use their product).
Alternative
Given their valuation/wealth, Stripe or its founders could easily helicopter in a gift payment to IH that would sustain the forum for years.
Stripe would still satisfy their goal (help new companies to be formed).
And the creeping element of doubt around conflict of interest would be gone.
Yes it is as it seems; I am suggesting Stripe cut IH loose to quench my paranoia and keep the indie flag flying higher.
Alternatively, the forum has grown and perhaps could be self-sustaining now. But then there's that thing called acquisition. Oh yeah, bummer.
Why write this?
This post:
https://www.indiehackers.com/post/indie-doesn-t-mean-bootstrapped-anymore-a88300c012
Not because of the content but the movement.
There isn't anyone at Stripe telling me what to write, who to interview, what features to build, etc., or even making unsolicited suggestions. I wrote that post because I personally think it's true and important. 🤗
It's been about 3 years since Stripe acquired IH, and the goal has always been to grow the community while simultaneously making it more pleasant and helpful. That's a tricky balancing act, but I take it very seriously, whereas many others would simply pay it lip service. I think things have been going quite well so far, but as always, I'm eager to hear your thoughts and suggestions!
The only thing I see as a potential appearance of a conflict of interest is that the only products IH will allow to have "verified" revenue are those using Stripe. This excludes mobile apps getting paid from Apple or Google, games on Steam, info-products on Gumroad, etc. There are a lot of interesting businesses in those categories, including some of your former interviewees!
In contrast, putting all traffic verification through Google Analytics also is also annoying for many of us but there's no appearance of impropriety since they're unaffiliated with IH.
I remember asking about expanding the verification options years ago and feeling somewhat encouraged by your answer and thinking more integrations might be on the way in the future. I'd guess that constraining factor is time, not a nefarious memo. A lot of people are on IH these days, though, and it's bound to be misunderstood by some.
Thanks for taking the time to reply Courtland. I believe everyone on here thinks you are doing a really great job. I still think it's a shame that a champion of indies is no longer an indie but hey ho I accept I'm in a (strong) minority. Keep up the great work.
I sent Stripe an email a little while ago and in it I said:
I'm a bit of a Stripe fan-boy now because of Stripe's support for businesses through Covid and for Courtland & IH. I'm not in a position to accept payments yet but when I am Stripe wil be my first choice.
In terms of building a brand, building a community, and supporting future potential customers I think Indie Hackers, and by proxy Stripe, is doing a great job. I see a lot of value in Indie Hackers not having to scrounge for cash and I see 0 downside or negative impact.
Long story short, I don't think anyone can Monday Morning Quarterback the decisions of company founders.
In most cases, when a large company acquires a community-driven site, it is not long before they either merge it into a larger project causing it to lose its identity or they try to expand and grow it beyond the purpose that made it special and popular in the first place until its a shell of its former self. Both of which usually lead to members leaving over time.
While I have only started posting recently, I have been lurking here for a while and I feel like IH has done a great job of maintaining its own identity and personality despite being acquired.
It is also important to realize that it is quite possible that without the Stripe acquisition, @csallen may have eventually been forced to expand IH beyond what it is or another more hands-on or operationally-involved company may have made him a too-good-to-refuse offer.
It could be worse .. much worse. I have participated in several community sites over the years and I have seen many great communities fade or deteriorate in quality over time due to being acquired or their owner's attention being focused elsewhere for too long. In some cases, the communities were even shut down without warning.
In a perfect world, IH would be independent on all levels, but having the support of a large company with a hands-off approach and the continued management by the original owner is a solid "next best option" at least in my opinion.
Maybe rab was just bored?
Honestly i cant see any bad development here
It does happen