A big part of it is corporations simply eliminating competition. Why improve yourself when you can buy them out, scrape them for parts and then dissolve.
We must not forget another factor though: A lot of these apps, companies and studios are built on a startup model. They were never designed to be profitable or even economically sustainable. Their entire goal was to create a flashy product with positive user experience and then to get bought by a bigger company. That’s the cash-out time, and most of startups don’t really plan for anything afterwards.
You get bought, you do your time (1-2 years of continued service for the new owners) and then cash out, break loose and either retire or go fund another startup.
There are some cases, like game studio Bungie, where the company itself had vision beyond selling out and after being bought by Microsoft and not loving it - bought itself OUT and then continued its existence (until being bought by Sony). Most of startups don’t think that far, and the product they truly build is not an app or a service but simply stockholder value. They make the buyer’s stock go up when they get acquired and get paid for that.
It’s kinda sad to see for someone like me who was brought up with the ideals of building things that last and creating your own legacy, but that’s today’s startup-driven innovation economy.
A big part of it is corporations simply eliminating competition. Why improve yourself when you can buy them out, scrape them for parts and then dissolve.
We must not forget another factor though: A lot of these apps, companies and studios are built on a startup model. They were never designed to be profitable or even economically sustainable. Their entire goal was to create a flashy product with positive user experience and then to get bought by a bigger company. That’s the cash-out time, and most of startups don’t really plan for anything afterwards.
You get bought, you do your time (1-2 years of continued service for the new owners) and then cash out, break loose and either retire or go fund another startup.
There are some cases, like game studio Bungie, where the company itself had vision beyond selling out and after being bought by Microsoft and not loving it - bought itself OUT and then continued its existence (until being bought by Sony). Most of startups don’t think that far, and the product they truly build is not an app or a service but simply stockholder value. They make the buyer’s stock go up when they get acquired and get paid for that.
It’s kinda sad to see for someone like me who was brought up with the ideals of building things that last and creating your own legacy, but that’s today’s startup-driven innovation economy.