Dennis Crowley's Reaction To Facebook's Places

TL;DR

Foursquare faced tough competition from Facebook and other companies, but stayed focused on building their own unique products.

Transcript

speaking of Facebook when they launched places people thought it was the death Nell of you guys because people were already on Facebook surely you could check in how worried were you I would say that was one of the toughest days of the company um when when you know uh we Facebook we were talking a lot with them in 2010 and then um and then they ann... Read More

Key Insights

• ❓ Competition from other companies, like Facebook and Google, posed a challenge for Foursquare.
• 🏛️ Focusing on their own goals and building unique features helped Foursquare overcome competition.
• 🥺 Distractions from what other companies were doing can lead to wasted time and demotivation.
• 😯 The founder's speech was a pivotal moment in rallying the team and staying focused.
• 👋 Foursquare prioritized building the best product, even if it meant reinventing existing ideas.
• 👀 Discipline and looking ahead to the future were crucial in avoiding distractions from competitors.
• 🫷 Belief in their ability to create better products motivated Foursquare to keep pushing forward.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Foursquare react to the launch of Facebook Places?

Initially, the team was worried and second-guessing themselves, but the founder gave a speech to rally everyone to stay focused on their own goals instead of getting distracted by competition.

Q: How did Foursquare deal with competition in its early years?

Foursquare faced competition from multiple companies, including Facebook, Google Places, and others. They stayed disciplined and focused on building their own unique features like radar and game mechanics.

Q: How did Foursquare avoid being demotivated by what other companies were doing?

The founder emphasized the importance of always looking ahead and not getting distracted by shiny toys or what competitors were doing. They learned from past mistakes and became more disciplined over time.

Q: Did Foursquare believe in their ability to create better products than anyone else?

The founder had a 50/50 belief in their ability to compete with larger companies. However, their passion for building the best product drove them to create something unique and better than existing options.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Foursquare faced challenges when Facebook launched their own check-in feature, but the company rallied and stayed focused on their own goals.

• The founder had to give a speech to motivate the team to ignore distractions and focus on building what they believed in.

• Foursquare realized the importance of not getting distracted by what other companies were doing and staying disciplined in their own vision.