What Fascinates Me About GroupOn

Image by smemon87 via FlickrOf all the tech companies out there, the one that most fascinates me is GroupOn. It speaks to me. Its emphasis on people action, and its emphasis on words - cute emails - are really something. Of all the tech companies out there, the one that I find most inspiring in terms of what I would want to do with my microfinance startup, GroupOn stands out. You focus on a few basic human actions, and you go for it. You splurge.

I also like how fast they have grown. They were not here at all. And suddenly they are everywhere.

This blog post explains where I think group dynamics stand on the tech map: front and center.

My Web Diagram

GroupOn is the web maturing to land in the human domain, in the flesh.

Live Nation And GroupOn: That Offline Component
18 Months Ago GroupOn Did Not Exist
GroupOn's Legacy: Cute Email?
Image via WikipediaGroupOn, Zappos, And The Non Tech Components
GroupOn Did Not Launch At South By South West
GroupOn Did The Right Thing

Related articles

• Zappos founder Tony Hsieh enjoys the good life (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Why Is This Man Smiling? (nytimes.com)
• Only This Man Can Save Amazon's Wannabe Gilt Killer MyHabit (AMZN) (businessinsider.com)

GroupOn's Legacy: Cute Email?

Image via Wikipedia

BusinessWeek: This Tech Bubble Is Different: Groupon, which e-mails coupons to people, may be the fastest-growing company of all time. Its revenue could hit $4 billion this year, up from $750 million last year, and the startup has reached a valuation of $25 billion. Its technological legacy is cute e-mail.

GroupOn is a great example of a company that has used fairly simple technology to build an amazing company. The wealth GroupOn has create is very legitimate.

And you thought the inbox had gone stale. For most people their inbox is still their most prized web possession.

But it's not even the inbox. GruopOn has hired thousands of salespeople. The action is not on the computer screen. It is offline. It is in face time.

GroupOn is my idea of a tech company. My company is also going to put its primary emphasis on High Touch, on face time. High tech is simply going to be an enabler.

"Hybrid" companies like GroupOn will create the jobs we need. Those salespeople have old economy skills that are suddenly in high demand, thanks to GroupOn's smart use of simple technology.

GroupOn Did Not Launch At South By South West
GroupOn, Zappos, And The Non Tech Components
Google, GroupOn: GroupOn Perhaps Was Not The Next Big Thing
Google, GroupOn: Marissa Mayer's Stalking Of Andrew Mason

Related articles

• This Tech Bubble Is Different | Bloomberg (unfinishedscript.wordpress.com)
• The ultimate pitch: 11 startups, 8 minutes, 500 investors (money.cnn.com)
• GroupOn Has a Drinking Problem (blogs.forbes.com)
• Google Offers: GroupOn Rival or Failure-In-Waiting? (socialtimes.com)
• When re-org pushes good people out; why Marissa Mayer will leave Google (bizibly.com)

Tony Tsieh Could Have Been Richard Branson

New York Times: Why Is This Man Smiling?: In his book, Mr. Hsieh implies that the company’s investors forced him to make the Amazon deal

I have not read Tony's book, and this is the first time I am seeing somewhere he is hinting the sale was forced upon him, but I guessed that on my own a long time ago, and I strongly disapproved of it.

Zappos deserved an IPO. Zappos deserved an airline. The forced sale was an act of racism. Don't act surprised. I have made that statement before.

No, it was not about money. Those VCs would have made more money if Zappos had gone IPO.

Richard Branson
GroupOn, Zappos, And The Non Tech Components
Zappos

Related articles

• Richard Branson getting into microbial diversity (a little bit) (phylogenomics.blogspot.com)
• Richard Branson on Branding (bjconquest.com)
• Richard Branson Announces Virgin Oceanic Submarine (tech.slashdot.org)
• Billionaire Undersea Expeditions - Richard Branson Forms Virgin Oceanic to Investigate the Ocean (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)
• Richard Branson's Virgin Oceanic to Explore Earth's Deepest Depths (VIDEO) (blippitt.com)
• Richard Branson: My Planes Are "Simply Bad Ass" (businessinsider.com)
• Richard Branson Taking the World by Virgin Oceanic Submarine! (manolith.com)
• Richard Branson to announce new venture in Calif. (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Sir Richard Branson seeks Virgin Atlantic merger (dailyexpress.co.uk)
• AIRPLANES, SPACESHIPS, AND SUBMARINES: The Ridiculous, Sexy Life Of Richard Branson (businessinsider.com)