>If Meta is known for anything besides user privacy violations it's for taking risks that often pay off. [...] Their continued bet on VR is still highly criticized, yet they were the first Big Tech company in the space, they're the current market leaders, and I'm sure it will have huge ROI in the near future.
Are you using something that hasn't yet paid off as an example of how their big risks often pay off just because you are personally sure it will have huge ROI?
But I'm not actually sure I agree with the premise.
What risks is Meta known for taking? Instagram and Whatsapp purchases were defensive moves; they were laughed at for the prices not for risk.
Here they are similarly being laughed at for the price.
Is there much risk beyond that?
If Instagram had petered out and people had stayed on Facebook proper, they would've been fine. Same with Whatsapp. It's not like they've been trying to push people away from their core Facebook product. More the opposite - they've used acquisitions to try to push Facebook accounts to more people.
Compare to Apple, letting Mac software flounder for a while while focused on growing the iPhone and iPad business. Risky, worked out. Compare to Microsoft, going down years of dead-ends trying to come up with a next-gen operating system - a big part of their core bread-and-butter - and then having to release the generally-panned Vista because they bet too big on stuff they couldn't realize with Longhorn. Risky, failed. Compare to Snap, even - turning down Meta cash for independence. Risky, kinda meh results? But adding another social media app to a social media company's portfolio? Less so.
VR, on the other hand, does seem like the closest analog here. Buying their way into a non-core-competency space. There they bought the undisputed leader but it still hasn't paid off to date. Here? Eh....
Are you using something that hasn't yet paid off as an example of how their big risks often pay off just because you are personally sure it will have huge ROI?
But I'm not actually sure I agree with the premise.
What risks is Meta known for taking? Instagram and Whatsapp purchases were defensive moves; they were laughed at for the prices not for risk.
Here they are similarly being laughed at for the price.
Is there much risk beyond that?
If Instagram had petered out and people had stayed on Facebook proper, they would've been fine. Same with Whatsapp. It's not like they've been trying to push people away from their core Facebook product. More the opposite - they've used acquisitions to try to push Facebook accounts to more people.
Compare to Apple, letting Mac software flounder for a while while focused on growing the iPhone and iPad business. Risky, worked out. Compare to Microsoft, going down years of dead-ends trying to come up with a next-gen operating system - a big part of their core bread-and-butter - and then having to release the generally-panned Vista because they bet too big on stuff they couldn't realize with Longhorn. Risky, failed. Compare to Snap, even - turning down Meta cash for independence. Risky, kinda meh results? But adding another social media app to a social media company's portfolio? Less so.
VR, on the other hand, does seem like the closest analog here. Buying their way into a non-core-competency space. There they bought the undisputed leader but it still hasn't paid off to date. Here? Eh....