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Comment by gingerlime | Hacker News Reader

> Even basecamp, which is highly remote, postponed their email service launch.

I’m sure the added stress didn’t help, but I would imagine it’s more related to marketing. Do you really want to launch a new product at this time of uncertainty?

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Considering that it was an email service, focused on making async communication better, one would think right now might be a pretty good time when a large number of people are working from home.

strategically perhaps, but the optics on that are so awful. I'd argue it's the wrong thing to do if you thought you'd be more profitable in a crisis.

It's not about being profitable. They could even maybe launch it below cost and that might help people even if it costs them. The parent talked about marketing. And people using something and benefitting from it, and then recommending to others is probably one of the best forms of it.

The optics are bad if you try to profit unreasonably. Launching something to help people become more productive, and making reasonable money out of it doesn't have bad optics.

There are plenty of firms not terribly worried about the optics right now.

I don't mind naming one particularly gross one - Knightscope is busy spamming about how "Security robots are immune from disease and work 24/7". I'm sure they practiced defensive patter about resilience until they could say it without smirking.

Didn’t stop Apple today from releasing new iPads, Macbook Airs, and Mac Minis...

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