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My name is Vitaly and I have some opinions
From the Blog
I write this on the eve of the much awaited and hyped Facebook IPO to time-capsule my thoughts before the big bang. After all, we are talking about a once-in-a-decade phenomenon of a company with 900M+ addicted users around the world.
It is not fair to say that Facebook is single-handedly responsible for the current startup bubble cycle, but it is certainly the 10,000 lb gorilla of social media. The company that won the arms race for the social graph in the process decimated companies like MySpace who not long ago seemed invincible.
No business can survive without customers. As the business grows however, how you interact with them will be the difference between an unmanageable mess and profitability. The tactical approach here can vary wildly based on the business model. Most notably, a service versus product company.
After having various offices in San Francisco’s coveted South Park area for over 5 years, I made a tough decision to make the move out of the city in December. As much as I’ve grown to love San Francisco, there are several things I definitely won’t miss. If you are bringing your startup to the Bay Area, I hope this helps:
5. Filth/Crime
San Francisco, despite its relatively small population, is a big city. Big cities tend to have big city problems like: homelessness, busy (and therefore dirty) streets, and higher crime. The popular South Park area is also the host for Giants baseball games and a number of large scale events throughout the year. Not only does this bring thousands of “bridge and tunnel” people that couldn’t care less about the neighborhoods but it exacerbates, to the extreme, most of the other pains listed below.