Microsoft wants to protect itself and buy into the power of community. It beat Google at the mark to purchase 1.6% of Facebook for USD240mill valuing Facebook at around USD15bill.
In the new world – membership will be the compelling value driver – revenue is dead (at least at a headline level anyway).
Key learning outcome – build the platform and the membership, revenue and value will come.
So rather than build it and they will come, the new mantra is “get them to come and they will pay.”
It ain’t real money yet, though. The $250M is capital to be spent, not founder liquidity.
Time will tell. I am personally less and less bullish on Facebook.
Cheers,
BW
Erm, you mean 15 billion, right? 😉
cheers – changed now!