January 12, 2009
12:15 am PST
4 commentsStartups
TechCrunch’s nominees for Best Overall Startup in 2008 were:
Amazon Web Services
Facebook (winner)
Android
hulu
Twitter (runner-up)
Is it me, or are only two of those really startups? (Facebook is debatable, too)
4 comments
I perceive a 2008 startup as a company which started business in 2008. Twitter did not start in 2008, though it had substantial growth. Facebook does not fit the bill at all. Hasn’t Amazon always offered web services? Android is a product not a company. Hulu is the only one that closely fits the description. Although it started in late 2007 it really came of age this year. Sounds like they are just trying to drum up some traffic, while losing credibility in the process.
Yeah, I agree, though I think Twitter is more of a startup than Hulu. Hulu is a joint venture between huge companies, so they don’t really have to worry about funding, and there’s not a huge direct upside or downside for its employees (as far as I know). Twitter, though successful, has a lot more uncertainty and has a lot of potential upside for its employees in the case of acquisition or eventual IPO. The whole ‘best overall startup’ idea is a bit silly, anyway. I can’t think of anything facebook did last year that was really notable besides huge growth.
I did not know that about Hulu, and I agree that really wouldnt make them a startup. If you see startup as a company with potential for acquisition or IPO then MyYearBook or Runstoppable should be up there!
Those are some pretty poor choices…
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