Comment by caspper69 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by caspper69 | Hacker News Reader

Honestly, as I've gotten older, I just don't have a lot of respect for companies that are simply chasing growth for the sake of growth and monetization just for the sake of monetization. I don't think people realize when enough is actually enough.

I think one of the worst things a company can do is go public (outside of industries and niches that simply require large players). It just seems to ruin the quality of a company's products, services & culture.

I know we can't all live in Mayberry, and that people don't really pay for quality, but when your sole objective boils down to pleasing Wall St. quarter after quarter, something gets lost in the process.

Being a part of something that you take pride in used to mean something. Craftsmen and inventors weren't necessarily looking for a seven figure exit (or more), or to become billionaires. They wanted to make the lives of their customers better.

I think we all suffer in different ways because of this growth-at-all-costs mentality, from the top all the way down.

Sonos just replaced their CEO after a series of product debacles that had their users up in arms. Over the summer I looked into buying Sonos and even previously happy users were saying, "Stay away, stay far away, either look into alternatives or wait and see if they're going to sort this out."

I decided to wait and see, and months later I heard that they're replacing their CEO: promising! But then their CEO said this in his first letter to employees, and I lost all hope:

> what really gets me up in the morning is the idea that we can expand the Sonos platform well beyond “out loud audio at home.”

Seems like adios to Sonos as a good product, and I guess I have to look at those alternatives now.

The problem is that Sonos patented synchronising speakers over WiFi. So replicating the quality of their earlier products might be illegal now.

Whenever a service I use goes public I start looking for an alternative. That is, without a doubt, the best indicator of impending decline.

That and being bought by PE firm.

Amen!

I've worked at multiple lean companies that were purchased by bigger public entities. Without fail, the "problem" the company existed for moves from delighting customers to financial engineering.

Since going it solo, it's been amazing how satisfying a job/business can be once you get a sense of what "enough" is each month. I find that going the extra mile for customers, even when you aren't getting directly paid for it is incredibly rewarding and knowing when I've made "enough" each month allows me the time to do this.

Don't get me wrong, I went hard in the first few years to build up some buffer, but it's amazing how powerful and enjoyable building goodwill is, and how it pays for itself down the line.

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