Facebook & Oculus

[Victorious Secret]

 

It really will start a new wave of Kick Starter backer requirements or fine print for backers to these type of items. Backers will now probably not back such items unless there is legalize that it cannot be sold to a larger company and it must remain open source. Future Kick Starter (and other such sites) project leaders will be put under the microscope with their listing and possibly fail if they do not list out that they will remain open source and not sell out (yes Cliffy sold out no matter how you angle it).

 

Look, I hate to belittle people who think like this but I think you guys need to understand what KS really is...KS is not venture capitalism. KS is money for items. Scratch that, you aren't even assured getting whatever perk you paid for! There is no real obligation to fulfill. If someone is so devious, they can cut and run. What are you going to do? What is KS really going to do? 

Let me repeat, KS is not venture capitalism. You do not buy into the risk of a new company. You are not fronting ownership levels of funding. What you pay might not even get you a single bloody share in a company. So please, cut this crap out that KS companies can't sell themselves to large corporations. You are not owed ANYTHING. 

 

KS even disallows profit sharing, its in their terms of service! Cause they don't want KS being venture capitalism. 

 

 

Unless you write a cheque for 250k and get meaningful ownership of a company, you have ZERO right to tell them how to run their business. And it is a business. Kids on kickstarter and even adults need to learn how these things work before going on twitter and crying about not being compensated for Oculus being sold to Facebook and they get nothing from it. No duh you get nothing, you didn't invest in the company. You bought a potential perk, nothing more. 

 

Sure, Oculus wouldn't have gotten to a position to be worth 2 billion if not for KS, but that doesn't change what KS is and isn't. Oculus owes the backers NOTHING beyond what they paid for. You didn't buy into the company. Why on Earth would you expect proper dividends? And if you care so much about a company, call your broker and have them setup a meeting where you can actually invest serious cash for proper ownership and proper returns.

 

Selling out. What an abused term. Let me ask you, who the hell here wouldn't sell out if someone said "Oh hai, your company is worth 2 billion and we'd like to buy it". Give me a break. "selling out". Its called doing business, and its what it takes in the real world. 

[Johnix]

I can't understand why many of you are already judging.

Facebook has done nothing wrong with Oculus so far. When they force something on you, feel free to judge, but not now, where nothing is forced upon you and facebook hasn't presented such a thing.

And to the guys who supported Oculus via Kickstarter:

You didn't buy a part of the company, you bought a product (in this case DK1 or poster or whatever) and you got your product.

[Luke]

Where is the poll option for "Nobody knows"

[RelentlessAF]

No, just facebook.

Facebook and Twitter. Hashtags are the dumbest thing at my job they tried to make us buy new uniforms with hashtags all over it. When we all said no they cancelled it. I'm so glad we didn't have to wear those

[Rhotis]

What will happen with Occulus and with VR in general is still an untold story.  What potentially could be the more important story is the anger the crowd funding community is feeling right now and if that anger spoils crowd funding in general.  At the end of the day no one wants to donate money so a fledgling company can sell to a corporate giant 18 months later.  The reason people donate in the first place is the feeling of being a part of something that is outside of the megacorporate machine.  If (and it is a big if,  people today seem to have the memory of a gold fish) people feel that crowd funding is just a way to help some guy sell out to the corporate machine it could have a tangible  negative impact which very much would stifle innovation.

 

As to the actual sale itself I am pretty much "whatever".  I disagree with linus when he says this is going to make everyone invest in VR.  FB has made some questionable acquisitions that the business world is still scratching their heads on how they can monetize those acquisitions.  I personally think the future of VR is bright but I think this acquisition is neither here nor there.  I think big companies were already starting to invest based on the crowd funding and hype around the Rift in the first place. If anything the backlash that we have seen over the last couple of days could even sour near term investment.  .  

[IdeaStormer]

Look, I hate to belittle people who think like this but I think you guys need to understand what KS really is...KS is not venture capitalism. KS is money for items. Scratch that, you aren't even assured getting whatever perk you paid for! There is no real obligation to fulfill. If someone is so devious, they can cut and run. What are you going to do? What is KS really going to do? 

Let me repeat, KS is not venture capitalism. You do not buy into the risk of a new company. You are not fronting ownership levels of funding. What you pay might not even get you a single bloody share in a company. So please, cut this crap out that KS companies can't sell themselves to large corporations. You are not owed ANYTHING. 

 

KS even disallows profit sharing, its in their terms of service! Cause they don't want KS being venture capitalism. 

 

 

Unless you write a cheque for 250k and get meaningful ownership of a company, you have ZERO right to tell them how to run their business. And it is a business. Kids on kickstarter and even adults need to learn how these things work before going on twitter and crying about not being compensated for Oculus being sold to Facebook and they get nothing from it. No duh you get nothing, you didn't invest in the company. You bought a potential perk, nothing more. 

 

Sure, Oculus wouldn't have gotten to a position to be worth 2 billion if not for KS, but that doesn't change what KS is and isn't. Oculus owes the backers NOTHING beyond what they paid for. You didn't buy into the company. Why on Earth would you expect proper dividends? And if you care so much about a company, call your broker and have them setup a meeting where you can actually invest serious cash for proper ownership and proper returns.

 

Selling out. What an abused term. Let me ask you, who the hell here wouldn't sell out if someone said "Oh hai, your company is worth 2 billion and we'd like to buy it". Give me a break. "selling out". Its called doing business, and its what it takes in the real world. 

 

Just because you think in a box does not mean the world does. Without Kick Starter Oculus would still be a dream in someone's mind.

[Victorious Secret]

Just because you think in a box does not mean the world does. Without Kick Starter Oculus would still be a dream in someone's mind.

Thanks for missing my entire post.

 

I very clearly acknowledged that. 

 

So what now? Oculus doesn't owe their backers anything legally or morally. The services were exchanged. Last I checked Oculus had fulfilled their end quite nicely. 

 

Once again, Kickstarter is not venture capitalism. Just cause you paid for the dream doesn't make you a part of that dream. 

 

Of course, this is the internet. Everyone has a MBA and runs a multibillion dollar hedge fund and knows the ins and outs of the contracts for the deal and is an expert on what the direction of another mans company should be.

[Rhotis]

Look, I hate to belittle people who think like this but I think you guys need to understand what KS really is...KS is not venture capitalism. KS is money for items. Scratch that, you aren't even assured getting whatever perk you paid for! There is no real obligation to fulfill. If someone is so devious, they can cut and run. What are you going to do? What is KS really going to do? 

Let me repeat, KS is not venture capitalism. You do not buy into the risk of a new company. You are not fronting ownership levels of funding. What you pay might not even get you a single bloody share in a company. So please, cut this crap out that KS companies can't sell themselves to large corporations. You are not owed ANYTHING. 

 

KS even disallows profit sharing, its in their terms of service! Cause they don't want KS being venture capitalism. 

 

 

Unless you write a cheque for 250k and get meaningful ownership of a company, you have ZERO right to tell them how to run their business. And it is a business. Kids on kickstarter and even adults need to learn how these things work before going on twitter and crying about not being compensated for Oculus being sold to Facebook and they get nothing from it. No duh you get nothing, you didn't invest in the company. You bought a potential perk, nothing more. 

 

Sure, Oculus wouldn't have gotten to a position to be worth 2 billion if not for KS, but that doesn't change what KS is and isn't. Oculus owes the backers NOTHING beyond what they paid for. You didn't buy into the company. Why on Earth would you expect proper dividends? And if you care so much about a company, call your broker and have them setup a meeting where you can actually invest serious cash for proper ownership and proper returns.

 

Selling out. What an abused term. Let me ask you, who the hell here wouldn't sell out if someone said "Oh hai, your company is worth 2 billion and we'd like to buy it". Give me a break. "selling out". Its called doing business, and its what it takes in the real world. 

 

That depends.  If someone offered me 2b for something I thought in 10 years would put me in position to buy the company offering me the 2b then no,  I would not take that offer.  

 

As to the rest of your post you are right,  KS is a specific setup and they owe you nothing when you donate other than what they describe you will get for your level of donation (or purchase).  That does not change the fact that this is a big wake up call.  Your thoughts and impressions of business and how business should be done may not align with the people you are donating too.  The crowd sourcing community wants to think they are bucking the mega corp system.  This is a big public in your face wake up call that..... maybe all you are doing is helping some guy sell his concept to the mega corps.  

[Geekazoid]

Please excuse my ignorance but, what is with this whole Oculus and Facebook thing and who the heck are Oculus?

I do watch the news but I must've missed this one.