Facebook Copies and Wins

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Farhad Manjoo, Compy and Conquer: Facebook Wins Again. New York Times, Apr 20, 2017 (in the "Business" section).
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/ ... ram-innovation.html

Quote:

"The tech world just witnessed a robbery. The heist was so brazen you kind of had to admire it, even if it was pulled off with all the grace of a gas station stickup.  Facebook barged into Snapchat's happy Venice Beach, Calif., mansion, took a solid inventory of the goods, then lifted the crown jewels. First a version of Stories," then snapchat and augmented reality.

"On Tuesday [Apr 18, 2017], the leader of the Facebook crew, Mark Zuckerberg, put on a conference to show off his loot. But he went further: He unveiled a vision of augmented reality — in which digital objects and effects are overlaid on images of the real world — which could undercut Snapchat’s mission to become the camera company for the next generation.  His speech had a lot of corny jokes, but that was just Mr Zuckerberg's way of hiding the shiv.

"Mr Zuckerberg realized early on that the most important thing in his business was not necessarily creating the best new features. It doesn't matter who invents digital mustaches. What matters is owning the biggest and most engaged network. And because he has the network, he always wins.

"By turning the smartphone camera into a communications platform [Stories, Snapchat], Snapchat [owned by Snap, Inc -- a Facebook competitor] created a novel and compelling social experience. Teenagers couldn’t get enough of it.

"Do you know what happens when you [Zuckerberg] control four [Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger] of the biggest social networks in the world? You get to stop worrying about competitors beating you on features.

"Miranda Kerr, who is Mr [Evan] Spiegel's fiancée, recently told The Times of London that she couldn’t stand Facebook’s behavior. 'Can they not innovate? Do they have to steal all of my partner's ideas?' she asked. 'When you directly copy someone, that's not innovation.'  To which I say: Meh. * * * There is a rich history in this industry of taking someone else's idea and adding your own spin on it to improve tech for everyone.

Note: shiv (n; etymology): "slang knife"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shiv