God yes. The whole point of commerce is the creation and exchange of value. The great startups have been great because they create massive amounts of value in the world.
Startups like this don't create value. They just shift the value around. In the case of these startups, they shift the value to rich people while pocketing the cash. They are essentially parasitic.
Not only is that a dick move, it's dumb for a startup. Google can earn $60 billion in revenue per year because they create even more value than that for its users and customers. Startups that don't create much value have very limited opportunities for capturing value. As the parking app show, regulators are perfectly happy to ban things that don't create value, especially when they have obvious negative externalities. That's what happened to the entire telemarketing industry for example.
So please, people: focus on creating value, not just on whatever bullshit will bring a few dollars through the door.
Startups like this don't create value. They just shift the value around. In the case of these startups, they shift the value to rich people while pocketing the cash. They are essentially parasitic.
Not only is that a dick move, it's dumb for a startup. Google can earn $60 billion in revenue per year because they create even more value than that for its users and customers. Startups that don't create much value have very limited opportunities for capturing value. As the parking app show, regulators are perfectly happy to ban things that don't create value, especially when they have obvious negative externalities. That's what happened to the entire telemarketing industry for example.
So please, people: focus on creating value, not just on whatever bullshit will bring a few dollars through the door.