CEO Supper Club: Aaron Levie, What Do You Think About Dropbox?

TL;DR

Box focuses on serving the professional and Enterprise space, while Dropbox has a larger consumer following.

Transcript

what's your value prop over drop offs over drop offs I mean I ask because like a lot of our users are I know the answer okay all right sorry ton and I already talked about this apparently I asked because this is really a great question I got like a lot of our um our audience are massive Dropbox Fanboy they have just a huge following so I don't thin... Read More

Key Insights

• 👾 Box and Dropbox have different target demographics, with Box focusing on the professional and Enterprise space, while Dropbox caters more to consumers.
• 🔉 Box chooses not to prioritize consumer-oriented features such as media sharing.
• 🥺 Serving different demographic categories comes with limitations, leading to variations in the products and services offered.
• 😫 Box's focus on the Enterprise space sets them apart from other file-sharing companies, as they offer solutions for larger companies with specific needs.
• 👤 Box prides itself on its user experience, design, and innovation, which are influenced by their consumer internet company background.
• 🌥️ Dropbox's large consumer following contributes to its popularity and features geared towards sharing media files.
• 🍗 Other players in the file-sharing market, such as VMware, Citrix, and Oracle, also try to respond to the increasing demand driven by consumer-focused companies like Dropbox.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are the main differences between Box and Dropbox?

The main difference lies in their target demographics. Box focuses on serving the professional and Enterprise space, while Dropbox has a larger consumer following.

Q: Why does Box not spend much time on consumer-oriented features?

Box intentionally avoids focusing on consumer-oriented features like media sharing because their target demographic is not primarily consumers. They prioritize serving the professional and Enterprise space.

Q: Can Box serve both the consumer and professional demographics?

Box believes that it is necessary to choose two out of the three demographics, which are the consumer space, professional and SMB space, and the Enterprise space. Thus, they have explicitly chosen not to focus on the consumer space.

Q: Why does Box's focus on the Enterprise space make them different from other file-sharing companies?

Box's focus on the Enterprise space sets them apart from other file-sharing companies. They prioritize serving larger companies with their storage, collaboration, and data access needs, often integrating with other software or systems, such as ERPs or collaboration tools like Jive.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Box and Dropbox offer file sharing services but have different target demographics.

• Box chooses to serve the professional and Enterprise space, while Dropbox caters more to consumers.

• Box does not focus on sharing media like photos or music, unlike Dropbox.

• There are limitations to serving different demographic categories, leading to a difference in the products offered by both companies.