Yammer dude says there are no good opportunities left for startups.
Yammer dude: “How many [viable] ideas like that are left?”
@Alexia sums up the responses from MarcA to GeorgeZ:
“An infinite number — human creativity is limitless,” responds the infinitely more positive Marc Andreessen, “Which doesn’t make it easy, but does mean the opportunity is unending.”
Andreessen then refutes Sacks’ argument point by point, basically asserting that larger companies are in many cases more ill-equipped than startups to execute on novel and world-changing ideas (Apple Ping anyone?), as they care more about stability than change.
Andreessen, who watched his own Netscape get crushed by Microsoft in the mid-nineties 1990s (and then lived to sell Skype to the beast of Redmond as A16z’s first exit) mind you, wins this round, by sheer enthusiasm.
He goes on a comment tear, and “successfully bludgeon[s] his audience into submission” three times! Sorry Sacks, but if Marc can muster up some hope, then so can you.
Also, I for one am a huge fan of Yammer investor George Zachary’s mystical response, “As long as the universe keeps changing, there is opportunity.” And a time to every purpose, under heaven.
Me? I want to root with the optimists. I'm full of hope.
maybe there is a swing away from big internet for a moment? but it will certainly come back
There's definitely a swing away from big Internet right now.
And I agree, it will be back. Consumers are hungry for something new.
Maybe if his idea hadn't been so completely derivative that he might have a different view?
Heh. Maybe he meant that HE doesn't have any new ideas. :)
Or maybe he is just teasing everyone after selling a derivative idea for $1b. I can only imagine his original idea would be worth a lot more to the world.
True, maybe this is a setup for him to do something original.