He launched Megaupload two years before Dropbox. Kim could have pivoted there, then expanded to docs/collaboration. Yes, hindsight is 20:20, but in theory it would have been possible moving from a piracy-centric business model to regular cloud storage/collaboration for businesses and small teams.

Regulatory does not matter if your product does not matter. Megaupload did matter, and did not solve the regulatory problem or change the business model.

Maybe it came too early for the solution or alternative business models to become apparent.

Hmm, this is an interesting counterexample.

What was the difference? Did not have the correct investors? Did not have a unique enough product?

I would assume the latter. However, this is an interesting topic for discussion.

That takes me back to when Kim Kimble, known scammer, was going around boasting of representing some script-kiddie army fighting Al Qaeda.

I like to think that early exposure helped immunize me against some other self aggrandizing grifters over the decades.

https://www.theregister.com/2002/01/22/kimble_schmitz_deport...