Is there anywhere to read more about Geoff's Rocketmail experience?
In FoundersatWork, Sabeer Bhatia (who co-founded Hotmail) paints a pretty awkward picture of Four11. According to the interview, Rocketmail started out as a directory service (I guess, hence "Four11"). They were Hotmail's partner, providing them with a searchable directory of other users. But then through the partnership Four11 found out how many users Hotmail was getting and decided to compete directly by making Rocketmail. Things were apparently especially awkward because both Hotmail and Four11 were funded by DFJ!
Anyway, it would be really interesting to hear the other version of events. (Hotmail and Rocketmail were competitors after all.) Obviously, being in webmail rather than directory services was the right call, but how did Four11 decide to switch and what were the interpersonal and business dynamics really like?
Agree. Knowing all that I have heard about Sabeer Bhatia beside the link you shared, I would take a random guy's word over Sabeer's any day. And I form this opinion after talking with some people who know the guy first hand.
In Founders at Work, Sabeer Bhatia (who co-founded Hotmail) paints a pretty awkward picture of Four11. According to the interview, Rocketmail started out as a directory service (I guess, hence "Four11"). They were Hotmail's partner, providing them with a searchable directory of other users. But then through the partnership Four11 found out how many users Hotmail was getting and decided to compete directly by making Rocketmail. Things were apparently especially awkward because both Hotmail and Four11 were funded by DFJ!
Anyway, it would be really interesting to hear the other version of events. (Hotmail and Rocketmail were competitors after all.) Obviously, being in webmail rather than directory services was the right call, but how did Four11 decide to switch and what were the interpersonal and business dynamics really like?