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Why There Aren't More Googles (2008)

paulgraham.com Essays & writing Essays & articles Economics & business Class of 2020-11 Hall of Fame
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Resurfaced independently across 7 calendar years, with breakout response in 2 of them.

submissions
7
submitters
7
observed span
2008–2022
peak thread · 160 comments
175 pts
latest 20+ return · 2020-11-06
175 pts

Submission timeline

2007–2026

One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.

First comments on top threads

HN comment order

> Tip for acquirers: when a startup turns you down, consider raising your offer, because there's a good chance the outrageous price they want will later seem a bargain. There's no evidence that this is the case. Indeed, after founders are acquired their fierce competitive spirit and drive often starts to dissolve once the founders have gotten their exit and the teams run into the inevitable corporate realities that exist when teams are merged / integrated into a new culture…

rexreed·175-point thread·

"Why are VCs so conservative? ..." I just read a fascinating book - Gut Feelings by Gerd Gigerenzer. It's by the guy who did most of the research that Malcolm Gladwell's Blink is based upon. The central thesis was that people have evolved heuristics for decision making that let them quickly make snap decisions more effectively than gathering full information, but a couple chapters were on an interesting corollary: in the absence of hard data on their performance, most people's…

You should add "(2008)" to the title.

rpm4321·3-point thread·

The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.

Breakout years
2

100+ points or 50+ comments

Total points
339

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Total comments
315

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Every submission

DateTitle as submittedByPointsComments
2008-04-14Why There Aren't More GooglesFirst breakoutecommercematt152154
2010-12-16Why There Aren't More Googlesbound00830
2012-11-28Why There Aren't More Googles (2008)anantzoid31
2013-03-14Why There Aren't More Googlesniggler20
2017-10-22Why There Aren't More Googles (2008)sillysaurus310
2020-11-06Why There Aren't More Googles (2008)Hall induction · Best thread · Latest 20+ point returnallenleein175160
2022-02-19Why There Aren't More Googles (2008)headalgorithm30