Gabor Cselle’s Post

#ElonMusk's purchase of #Twitter ignited the creation of fledgling competitors, including one founded by former employees initially called T2. However, T2 lasted about a year, failing to gain enough traction. Does the demise of the company that ended up being called Pebble foreshadow risks to other Twitter rivals such as Bluesky? Co-founder Gabor Cselle penned a lengthy post-mortem, highlighting the lessons he, partners Sarah C. Oh and Michael Greer and the team learned from their experiment. It's pretty eye-opening 👀 Among the many insights, we learned: 1. What was behind the rebrand from T2 to Pebble 2. Transparency around the platform's DAUs and the impact on fundraising 3. How failing to build an app and a lack of a differentiator contributed to the company's shutdown 4. The internal debate about whether Pebble should have embraced the #fediverse and ActivityPub — would it have made a difference? 5. How a controversial mass email about reclaiming handles affected users 6. Why Pebble's embrace of #AI in helping users compose posts resulted in harsh backlash from the community I'm saddened by the platform's demise as I wanted it to succeed. It seemed to have more of a community for me than its competitors. But there were many flaws that it couldn't overcome — there were only so many things I'd hoped it would have launched with already. If anything, this lessons learned debriefing from Gabor and his team is a reminder of how hard building a #startup is. Could we have lost all interest in new social media platforms? How can these technologies stand out from each other when they share many of the same features? Read the Medium piece here: https://lnkd.in/eyr5mayw #business #startuplessons #entrepreneurship #leadership #technology

Pebble, the Twitter alternative previously known as T2, is shutting down Shared by: Sarah Perez for Techcrunch The grip Twitter, now called X, has on the market may be stronger than some believed. Unfortunately, that’s led to the first casualty among Twitter alternatives, as the startup Pebble (formerly T2), is shutting down. The would-be X rival had grown a small but engaged community on its microblogging service that aimed to dupe Twitter’s features, from its verification systems to functionality like DMs. But the company says they’ve run out of time to make Pebble happen — the app maxed out at 3,000 daily active users, out of 20,000 registered users. That daily user figure fell to 1,000 daily users following its rebranding from T2. In part, the sizable competition coming from other Twitter rivals was to blame, says co-founder and CEO Gabor Cselle, who had exits to Google and Twitter prior to starting Pebble. “I think the competitive landscape evolved faster than we had thought,” he explains. “I didn’t think that quite as many people — established organizations and newcomers — would try to do the same thing that we were doing and in very similar ways.” If you want to learn more join us at ycoproductions.com

An essential and honest read for founders. Trying to create a Twitter alternative (even through the current downfall) is no mean feat, and while these folks document their *failings* they also did a hell of a lot really well. If you don’t have time, I have your TL;DR of key points below! What they nailed! ✅ Launched in two weeks from first git commit. This is huge, and absolutely the right way to think about a first launch. ✅ They shipped every day.  They decided to fix bugs as they were being reported taking it as a chance to show users they care (and can move fast). ✅ They had a great PR story. Ex twitter employees taking on Musk - what’s not to love about this. It gave users something to rally around. What went wrong! 📍 They couldn't differentiate. With a plethora of alternatives, they weren't standing out. Potential users can't love you, if they don't know how you're distinctive. Trust and safety (their priorities) aren’t differentiators, they’ve bare minimum expectations by users now. 📍 App platform expectations. Retention issues compounded, as they didn’t prioritise building an app. 📍 A rebrand increased positive perception with investors, but not users. Investors' interests are different to your users. An easy and probably all too common mistake. Ultimately they couldn't grow fast enough. Particularly social networks, it's about supply and demand. If you can't draw people to your platform, there is no value for them (see the network effect for product growth) Thanks so much Gabor Cselle for sharing this, and well done, while you cite this as a failure, it’s clear there was still so much of this that can be called a success story. 👏 👏

💡On this episode, Tristan Harris discusses the funding models of tech start-ups with Mara Zepeda and Kate “Sassy” Sassoon of Zebras Unite. Where does the whole ecosystem behind the 🦄 model falls out of balance? How is the 🦓 an alternative? They talk about aligning the ownership structure of the company with its mission better. And about changing the expectation of returns which will affect the decisions.  "Venture-capital backed companies like Twitter and Uber are held accountable to maximizing returns to investors. If and when they become public companies, they become accountable to maximizing returns to shareholders. They’ve promised Wall Street outsized returns — which means Twitter can't lose bots if it would significantly lower their user count and in turn lower advertising revenue, and Uber can’t treat their drivers like employees if it competes with profits."

Ever wondered how Twitter started? The idea of Twitter came from the founders of Odeo, an online directory for audio and video. During one of its internal hackathons, they came up with the idea of an SMS-based messaging platform for the team. Odeo employees loved the solution and used it so often that they eventually decided to make the platform public. So instead of paying any cost to build an MVP app, Odeo created a working corporate asset that grew into a hugely successful social media platform. That pretty much explains how important an MVP is to understand if the market needs what you are trying to build. They're like your seat belt in the product development journey—crucial for survival. It is the first version of your product validating what truly matters - functionality, design, quality, you name it.

Echoing what Nishant Mittal said, VC and funding game is all about relationships and how well connected you are and how meaningful those relationships are. However, in 95% of the cases you would be well connected in the VC and investment space ONLY IF:- 1. Either you're from an IIT/IIM or any such top Institution 2. you've worked before in some capacity at a micro-vc or at an early age startup where you MIGHT got a warm intro to them (investors) The rest 5% is all about networking with right people- hustling with your product and scaling it yourself to an extent where a VC or any such investor will track you down to invest. But again the question is, with so called equal opportunity programs like Sequoia Surge, Accel Atoms, etc., are they really supporting true entrepreneurship? Or it's again the networking and friendships being leveraged? Think again and try build real businesses without the VC money!

Koo is the perfect example of the fact that even if your idea is so shitty that somehow your app also turns out to be yellow, if you have friends in VC, it'll get funded. VC is purely a people's game. Now I absolutely understand and respect this. I don't have any problems with it either. What people do with their money is solely their decision. And if they choose to entrust it to their friends, it makes total sense. I've done some crazy things for my friends, too. I've lent them money thinking it was going to an urgent and noble cause, later realising it was used for drinks and marijuana. What's interesting is that if they ask me again (nicely), I'll probably do it again. That's what friendship is all about. Lending money and never seeing it back. And then laughing about it. But what I don't get and respect is the window dressing of these friendly decisions with bullshit logic and intellectualism. Using phrases like "network effects", "product differentiation", "barriers to entry", TAM, SAM, SOM, Om Namah Shivay in public forums, and then investing in a company like Koo. Look at Koo. It's a clone of (erstwhile) Twitter. Twitter's logo is a bird (blue & flying), while Koo's logo is also a bird (yellow & not flying). There's absolutely no product differentiation. None. Without any product differentiation whatsoever, how was Koo going to make a dent on Twitter's unfathomably strong, global network effects? And forget about network effects. Twitter, despite being around since 2006, is itself a small business in India with 25 Million users and INR 157 Cr in revenue (with losses of 32 Cr). Where was the TAM big enough to justify over $50 Million in funding and $275 Million in valuation? When it came to Koo, where did all the VC gyaan go? After all, it was Accel and Kalaari Capital. Tiger Global, too. Were they all just hoping that Modiji will ban Twitter in India, just like he banned TikTok? Not everyone can be as lucky as Sharechat, of course. So what exactly was the thesis behind this? And most importantly, who sourced the Shrooms which were consumed during the pitch meetings? Need that guy's number. For my friends. Why I'm writing this is very simple. I care for entrepreneurs. I've seen entrepreneurs without pedigree (or connections) start from scratch, build products, work on marketing, and rub their ass against a million sandpapers. Only to hear a vague version of "You're too early", or "This doesn't align with our thesis" from a VC, who they later find has put money on something like Koo. These people don't know shit, folks. They're just winging it. Putting money on their friends, as they perhaps should. Please don't get discouraged if you're not getting any love from VCs, because at the end of the day, it's all personal relationships. Focus on that. They don't say it for obvious reasons. But actions speak louder than words. P.S. I'm building Seneca. Senior entrepreneurs & VCs should read the Open Pitch and INVEST: https://bit.ly/3P70mFr

THE MESSIAH OF INTERNET PUBLISHING : THE EVAN WILLIAMS STORY. Chapter 4: The Birth of Twitter. In 2006, Evan Williams embarked on a new chapter by co-founding Twitter, a microblogging platform that would revolutionize social media. Twitter's unique concept of sharing short, 140-character messages in real-time captured the imagination of users worldwide. Williams, along with his co-founders, played a pivotal role in shaping Twitter's early identity. The platform quickly gained popularity, becoming a dynamic space for sharing thoughts, news, and moments. Its simplicity and immediacy struck a chord with users, and Twitter rapidly evolved into a global communication phenomenon. This chapter delves into the genesis of Twitter, showcasing Evan Williams's ability to identify and capitalize on emerging trends in communication technology. The birth of Twitter marked a transformative moment in social media, and Williams's role as one of its founders solidified his reputation as an influential figure in the digital landscape. #startup #entrepreneurship #strategy

Twitter Alternative Pebble, Previously Known As T2, Is Shutting Down: Pebble, the first of the would-be Twitter replacements to emerge after Elon Musk bought Twitter, is shutting down. The social media platform -- previously known as T2 to indicate a desire to build a Twitter clone -- was founded by former Twitter employees Sarah Oh and Gabor Cselle. Steven Vaughan-Nichols writes via ZDNet: Pebble was an early-stage, Twitter-like social network. Its goal was to become the "place to have the authentic conversations we've always wanted to have." Its founders, who were largely Twitter alumni, designed Pebble to look and feel like pre-Musk Twitter, with a 280-character limit and direct messaging. I rather liked it, but it appears I was in the minority. Pebble was always a bit rough around the edges, and it never made it past about 20,000 users. In what was still a surprising announcement, Pebble revealed its plans to shut down operations on November 1, 2023. In a letter to users, Pebble said: "The painful truth, however, is that we were not growing quickly enough for investors to believe that we will break out. Combine that with a crowded space of alternatives -- and the uphill climb is even steeper. In order to continue to build out a complete Pebble, we would have needed more investment, and more time." That was not to be -- and Pebble's backers ran out of money and time. A spokesperson for the platform stated: "While we are immensely proud of what we achieved with our dedicated team and an incredible community, the reality is that our growth rate was not meeting the expectations set by our investors." With the digital landscape burgeoning with alternative platforms, Pebble was competing in an increasingly crowded marketplace. As the platform prepares for its final curtain call, the team behind Pebble is shifting its focus to showing gratitude to its supportive community. They are exploring potential avenues to ensure that the connections formed on Pebble can continue in another guise. Further details are expected to be shared soon. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Twitter Alternative Pebble, Previously Known As T2, Is Shutting Down: Pebble, the first of the would-be Twitter replacements to emerge after Elon Musk bought Twitter, is shutting down. The social media platform -- previously known as T2 to indicate a desire to build a Twitter clone -- was founded by former Twitter employees Sarah Oh and Gabor Cselle. Steven Vaughan-Nichols writes via ZDNet: Pebble was an early-stage, Twitter-like social network. Its goal was to become the "place to have the authentic conversations we've always wanted to have." Its founders, who were largely Twitter alumni, designed Pebble to look and feel like pre-Musk Twitter, with a 280-character limit and direct messaging. I rather liked it, but it appears I was in the minority. Pebble was always a bit rough around the edges, and it never made it past about 20,000 users. In what was still a surprising announcement, Pebble revealed its plans to shut down operations on November 1, 2023. In a letter to users, Pebble said: "The painful truth, however, is that we were not growing quickly enough for investors to believe that we will break out. Combine that with a crowded space of alternatives -- and the uphill climb is even steeper. In order to continue to build out a complete Pebble, we would have needed more investment, and more time." That was not to be -- and Pebble's backers ran out of money and time. A spokesperson for the platform stated: "While we are immensely proud of what we achieved with our dedicated team and an incredible community, the reality is that our growth rate was not meeting the expectations set by our investors." With the digital landscape burgeoning with alternative platforms, Pebble was competing in an increasingly crowded marketplace. As the platform prepares for its final curtain call, the team behind Pebble is shifting its focus to showing gratitude to its supportive community. They are exploring potential avenues to ensure that the connections formed on Pebble can continue in another guise. Further details are expected to be shared soon. Read more of this story at Slashdot.