Well good for him
Too many would ride that horse into the ground, then sell its carcass to a glue factory, rather than dismount and put it out to pasture.
We need more business types like him.
In an almost-unprecedented move, a silicon valley founder is exiting a company before it's burned all its money: anonymous chat app Secret is looking for a graceful exit. David Byttow says Secret's “significant amount of invested capital” (remaining from US$35 million of funding) will be returned to the investors, rather than …
New or not, he was utterly, totally delusional and any even vaguely sane person would have accurately predicted that this would happen. Not just him either as the investors must have been braindead when spunking up that amount of cash for this as well.
Even when Internet users are not especially anonymous, when hidden behind the bravado enhancing Internet (i.e. not face to face with somebody else), they will troll, abuse and generally grief others solely because they can. It's a continuation of talking about somebody when they're not there.
> he was utterly, totally delusional and any even vaguely sane person would have accurately predicted that this would happen.
Now Nick, I must tell you I have a lot more respect for the types who go out, try, and fail, than for the ones who just sit there and say "Oh, I told you that wasn't going to work".
"The kiddies who were never on NNTP cannot imagine the true nature of people "
Some of the most obnoxious commentators in some Yahoo Groups are reported as nice considerate people when attending related events. They aren't even anonymous in their postings.
NNTP news groups had several sorts of people who made inconsiderate postings. Firstly those who had a mission to destroy the group because its subject made them feel uncomfortable. Secondly those who wanted certainty in support of their particular world view on the subject.
Anything else was usually just exasperation at apparently being misunderstood or contradicted without evidence. Perfect fodder for those who trolled for their own sense of mischief or disruptive power.
NNTP was where many people had their first taste of discussions that included a wider range of opinions and knowledge than they usually encountered. Being sociable in those groups was a learned skill - although like the occasional person at work some never seem to learn.
Children now encounter social media while they are still developing their own view of the world. In this respect it is more like the school playground than a VIth Form debate. They parrot what they have been taught. They also tend to adopt that which is "cool" to signal they belong to a desirable new grouping.
..and that is the nature of the human social animal - for good or ill purposes.
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