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cbtacyon Meta Earning Results Q3 2022 [pdf]

Right now, anyone who joined Facebook in the last 5 years is underwater on their options.

cbtacyon Meta Earning Results Q3 2022 [pdf]

Revenue miss, and revised revenue guidance even worse. Revenues down 4% YoY yet costs up 19% YoY. Profits down 50% YoY. Users flat. Average ad price -18% YoY. Capex 2x+ YoY. Added 19k employees (+28% YoY). Costs expected to grow from ~$85bn '22 to $101bn in '23.

I know there are external macro issues - but fundamentally you have to choose between two interpretations of this data.

1 - They've blown it badly over the last 7 year (strategically, but also at an execution level). And it's all been covered up by a bull market and cheap capital. 2 - But the metaverse!

cbtacyon Alex Jones told to pay $965M damages to Sandy Hook victims' families

Thank you.

cbtacyon Can we end megafires? These companies are trying to

For those who are (truly) interested in the topic, bothered to read this whole article, and want to know more - the seminal work on the subject is https://megafirebook.com/

cbtacyon Can we end megafires? These companies are trying to

I suggest you read this. It's the seminal work on the subject. https://megafirebook.com/

cbtacyon Can we end megafires? These companies are trying to

No. But there are obviously places where humans simply should not live, and we should respect that.

cbtacyon Can we end megafires? These companies are trying to

So you're saying that protecting property is more important than a sensible fire policy?

cbtacyon Meta announces hiring freeze, warns employees of restructuring

Flailing about? And of course what they were doing was NOT true light field display.

cbtacyon Our domain and 700 non-profit sites got blocked by Meta

This is the absolute best analogy I've ever seen for this situation. Kudos.

cbtacyon Betterbird: a fine-tuned version of Mozilla Thunderbird

No. And your bias is showing.

cbtacyon Meta announces hiring freeze, warns employees of restructuring

True lightfield display would be a start....

cbtacyon Betterbird: a fine-tuned version of Mozilla Thunderbird

In all seriousness... given what I've gone through with the behavior of many Mozilla devs, it's hard to wrap my head around what it would take to be "banned for life." That organization's tolerance for poor, unprofessional, and often abusive behavior from devs is extraordinarily high.

cbtacyon The forty-year programmer

I'm sorry... I refuse to believe there is a Rickenbacker bass anywhere in the world with a true neck.

cbtacyon The forty-year programmer

I think you speak for a small minority.

I'm 60. I've been doing this since I was a kid hacking into VAX clusers. My motivation is as strong if not stronger than when I was in my 20s (despite doing four startups which were successful). As for raw ability... claiming that is declining is not something that anyone can prove or disprove. It's just your opinion. But more importantly, it's not relevant. Raw ability is talent, and what matter is the APPLICATION of that talent. Speaking from my advanced age... one of the great things about maturing is that you become far, far better at applying your talents.

So if you are over 50, I'm sorry you feel this way. For the rest of us, this sh*t really does get better with age.

cbtacyon Be good-argument-driven, not data-driven

Very dated thinking. Suggest you read up on Lean Customer Development (for example).

cbtacyon Apple tells employees to work at the office three times per week starting Sept

The change has forced many of us to seek social interactions with people we don't work with. And I feel it's been healthy.

cbtacyon Apple tells employees to work at the office three times per week starting Sept

Same. Honestly, doubling my comp wouldn't get me back to that grind.

cbtacyon Apple tells employees to work at the office three times per week starting Sept

You cannot do a scrum meeting over Zoom?

cbtacyon Puzzle of prized white truffle finally yields to science

Truffle oil most often contains no actual truffle. Instead, most uses a product like 2,4-dithiapentane which mimics the aromatics of truffle. Most if not all chefs hate truffle oil with an unholy passion.

cbtacyon I remember feeling derisive about marketing as a young techie

You are conflating the larger marketing world with the specific sub area that is advertising.

cbtacyon Teams is killing my Mac every day

I'm going to argue that Teams has replaced Powerpoint as my most hated MS software product.

The only way I now use Teams is from the browser. And even then, as others have said, I keep a prepared Zoom link ready in case everything goes to s*t.

cbtacyon Notice of termination of Twitter merger agreement

Pretty much. I think it's more likely he's trying to set things up to make the claim that Twitter wasn't co-operative and forthcoming with the information and then try to reduce the break fee in court.

cbtacyon Bits of advice I wish I had known

Great summary, great lessons, definitely something worth fully digesting and internalizing.

But to be fair (and pedantic), at least one is untrue.

> • Handy measure: the distance between your fingertips of your outstretched arms at shoulder level is your height.

Ape Index = the difference between your arm span at shoulder level and your height. In other words, a +6" Ape Index means your arm span is 6 inches more than your height.

cbtacyon Ten members of international stock manipulation ring charged in Manhattan

If you found out about such a ring, got visibility into what they were doing, and didn't immediately seek competent legal advice - you would be an idiot.

cbtacyon Trapped in Silicon Valley’s hidden caste system

#midrop

cbtacyon Lessons Learned after $5B of M&A

Ironically (or perhaps interestingly), none were built for the actual outcome. The first, third, and fourth were all built with the dream of IPO in mind. The second was built as a lifestyle business.

Yeah... the batting average is why I've never done a fifth. I wanted to pull a Sandy Koufax and go out on top.

cbtacyon Lessons Learned after $5B of M&A

All were less than $250M, all were US companies being sold to US-headquartered companies.

cbtacyon Lessons Learned after $5B of M&A

I've sold 4 startups. Median time from starting the process to close was 6 months, with the quickest transaction taking 2.5 months and the slowest almost 9 months.

Diligence ranged from 3 weeks to 7 weeks.

Fastest transactions were private company acquisitions. Slowest were public company deals.

cbtacyon I love you, Hacker News, but you’re toxic

Bravo.

cbtacyon American Airlines and The Points Guy are suing each other

https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-service/support/legal-infor...

"Unless otherwise noted, all information, AAdvantage® account information, articles, data, images, passwords, Personal Identification Numbers ("PINs"), screens, text, user names, Web pages, or other materials (collectively "Content") appearing on the Site are the exclusive property of American Airlines Group, Inc., or American Airlines, Inc., or their subsidiaries and affiliates"

"You may not copy, display, distribute, download, license, modify, publish, re-post, reproduce, reuse, sell, transmit, use to create a derivative work, or otherwise use the content of the Site for public or commercial purposes. Nothing on the Site shall be construed to confer any grant or license of any intellectual property rights, whether by estoppel, by implication, or otherwise."

Seems pretty cut-and-dry to me.