into something that's a scam. I hoped that Kickstarter
was a way for one side to get funding, while the other
got an investment that could pay off big-time.
It turns out that the investment may be little more
than a gift. Some people get a "thank you", and others
are promised a prototype. This gets contentious when
the struggling techie (or whatever) strikes it rich.
Facebook Rich!
As you know, Zucker is a sucker for anything that
will expand his brand or stick it to the competition.
Well, he has dumped 2 Billion on a Virtual reality goggle
company that has NO working prototype yet.
Understandably, the morons who threw their money at
this fellow are feeling pretty stupid. As they should.
Kickstarter should have a warning label "if you're a sucker,
sign up here to give your no-questions-asked gift. Moron!"
we had an old racist joke in my school about a certain
minority which ends "and the rest are kickstarters".
Looks like Kickstarter donors are indeed kickstarters.
they need a kick to the head to wise up.
A similar problem has arisen in the Law of Wills:
checkit:
1
http://www.wired.com/business/2014/03/oculus-a-boon-to-kickstarter/
http://www.wired.com/business/2014/03/oculus-a-boon-to-kickstarter/
"But Facebook’s validation of Kickstarter isn’t just financial. It’s also spiritual. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg approaches Oculus with the same fanboy fervor as the 9,522 Kickstarter backers who collectively donated $2.4 million to get Oculus off the ground. "
2https://plus.google.com/+globeandmail/posts/VQfK67T6E3D
"Now some of those donors are crying “sellout.” They want their money back – and are happy to return the T-shirts.
“I supported this because it’s something that I’ve wanted to see become a reality since I read my first William Gibson novel,” one Oculus donor wrote on Kickstarter. “Now I find out that I might as well have handed my money right to Facebook and I feel a little sick.”
The extraordinary reaction of early Oculus VR backers and fans to news of the Facebook deal illustrates the tricky relationship between companies raising money on Kickstarter and the people who donate to them.
The hope, among donors, is that they can help the interesting ideas of these companies get off the ground. Their donations amount to seed funding – enough money to build a prototype, perhaps. And assuming they understand what they’re doing, the donors have no expectations of gaining equity in the young company.
With that largess comes a sense of community and expectations that it will deliver – or at least try really hard – on what it has promised. But when the little company hits a big payday, as Oculus VR announced Tuesday, it is strikingly clear that community has very little say in its decision-making."
