Flickr Lady Wants to Argue

One of the founders of Flickr, who earlier this month posted a preposterous, unresearched, inside-the-bubble proclamation that now is a 'bad time to start a company', now says she wants a good argument online. But that's not all, she also says:

I noticed, however, that I don't like arguing online, in blog comments or online forums. Mostly because people don't argue well — often they don't know much about the things they hold opinions about, or don't take the time to support their arguments. They tend to react to things not mentioned in the blog posts or other people's comments, but veer off into other topics; when they can't come up with a good argument they resort to sour grapes or ad hominem attacks; and they rarely give credit when their opponent makes a good point. When your opponent makes a good point, you've both won, in my opinion.

Perhaps she ought to apply those same rules to herself, the next time she attempts to give startup or business advice on her blog. 

Flickr Lady: Too Late, Fools!

This has to be one of the best/worst posts in a while. Best because it rightly calls “hype” on Web 2.0, worst because her central message is “My company got acquired by Yahoo! and I started 3 years ago so the rest of you are not going to make it”.

This just gives more ammo to the vets who called “flukr” on Flickr’s acquisition. Not because it isn’t an amazing website built by talented people, but that business-wise they didn’t have a clue. Here’s a choice line:

Tagging was a great feature, no doubt. But Flickr was at break even — about to tip into the black — when we were acquired.

Wow, Flickr was at breakeven with 1/0000th the users needed to make any real money, with competitors realizing the potential and getting funding, and with larger players starting to make their own clones. In any case, at least she’s got it right about all the web 2.0 losers who don’t have a clue, a business model, or anything else to do. But she’s also dead wrong– it’s never a bad time to start a business, that’s the whole point of starting businesses, that you have to try or you’ll never know.