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How attention flows on the web
This article epitomises why I don’t ‘get’ Yahoo.
Jerry Shen, who developed a fantasy sports app, cites the fact he responds immediately to customer enquiries as what differentiates him in the marketplace. That’s how he wins recommendations.
“Large competitors like Yahoo and the NFL soon launched their own mobile fantasy sports apps, and Shen tried to think of ways he could differentiate his product. His solution: charm customers with great customer service, responding to any complaints within five minutes.”
Yahoo has likely paid a lot of money to accquire his business. Jerry’s apps are gone.
“He became a director of engineering at the tech giant, managing a team….”
Hell of an expensive way to recruit someone. Perhaps Jerry is much more talented than anyone else at creating these fantasy sports games so this will give Yahoo competitive advantage. But that isn’t how the article portrays Jerry’s success. It doesn’t sound like Jerry will be doing customer service or that facet is part of Yahoo’s plan.