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When imperfect systems are good: Bluesky's lossy timelines

(jazco.dev)
768 points cyndunlop | 5 comments | 19 Feb 25 17:48 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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bitmasher9 ◴[19 Feb 25 18:28 UTC] No.43105534[source]▶
It’s really impressive how well Bluesky is performing. It really feels like a throwback to older social media platforms with its simplicity and lack of dark-patterns. I’m concerned that all the great work on the platform, protocol, etc won’t shine in the long term as they eventually need to find a revenue source.
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autobodie ◴[19 Feb 25 18:37 UTC] No.43105649[source]▶
Absolutely. The profit motive is the root of most evil. It is a shame that so many are trained to believe it is the only motive available.
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gkoberger ◴[19 Feb 25 18:40 UTC] No.43105691[source]▶
I completely agree with this... but without profit, people can't get paid, and they'll stop building. I do hate this incredibly need for growth, of course, but financial growth is necessary to pay people and give them raises and allow them to have upward mobility at the company.

I hope Bluesky is able to find a model that works for them AND for consumers. (I do know it's an open protocol, so it'll live on without Bluesky itself! However, as this post shows, it's a lot of work to build on the prototype... so if not them, who? And if someone else, how will they become sustainable?)

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1. tdb7893 ◴[19 Feb 25 18:58 UTC] No.43105912{3}[source]▶
It's semantics but I like to separate money from profits. You need money to pay people and to survive but you don't need to be raking in endlessly growing piles of it. This is something that was really demoralizing about working for a big company, they could be making like 50000000000 a year in just profits but still be ruthless in getting more. Like I just want to make a product I'm proud of and I'm happy living a simple life, I am happier now making less money but not feeling like I'm endlessly milking customers.
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2. JustExAWS ◴[20 Feb 25 01:54 UTC] No.43110171[source]▶
Once you take on investors, that’s not an option. VCs expect rapid growth and an exit - statistically through acquisition, but occasionally an IPO.

Once you go public, then you have investor pressure and can be subject to activist investors unless the founder has controlling interests like in the case of Meta and Google.

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3. raxxorraxor ◴[20 Feb 25 15:08 UTC] No.43115601[source]▶
Basically why I don't like to work for any public company anymore. You are there to be exploited by moneyed interests that most often don't even have any positive effect on the products itself.
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4. autobodie ◴[21 Feb 25 02:46 UTC] No.43123423[source]▶
That is not semantics. It is fundamental economics.
5. JustExAWS ◴[21 Feb 25 16:19 UTC] No.43129315{3}[source]▶
It doesn’t matter if the company is public or not. If the company has outside investors, you are in the same position.