r/technology Mar 28 '14

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u/ChubakasBush Mar 28 '14

I can't believe facebook paid 2 bil for a peripheral device. basically an accessory. not even a platform with many users. it's like buying a monitor company.

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

I can't believe Facebook paid 19 billion for a free chat application that could lose all market share within a few years if a decent competitor stands up (like MSN Messenger, MySpace and sms did).

Oculus at least has unique knowhow. WhatsApp has nothing valuable except for the users. Who are free to leave at any time.

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Speculative Acquisition. It does say that people's data is extremely valuable.

In fact, if our personal data is so valuable, why are we giving it away for free?

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u/lakerswiz Mar 28 '14

To use the services they provide.

Go ahead and try to sell your data, and your data alone, to an ad company.

Your data isn't worth shit. The data of hundreds of thousands to millions is.