Geek Mythology: What Tech Startups Say vs. What They Actually Do


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RECORDSETTER
Rhetoric: “Our mission is to raise the bar of human achievement.”
Product/service: User-generated world records such as the most hats worn while riding a bicycle, fastest “poking” of 10 Facebook friends, and longest Skype call.

 

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SNAPCHAT
Rhetoric: “Change the way people communicate for the better.”
Product/service: App that sends photos that disappear after a few seconds (useful for sexting).

 

 

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EVEREST
Rhetoric: “How can we turn everyone into a da Vinci?”
Product/service: Calendar app with social-sharing functions.

 

 

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DROPCAM
Rhetoric: “Creating cutting-edge technologies that are revolutionizing the way people view the world.”
Product/service: Nanny-cams that stream on a smartphone.

 

 

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POGOSEAT
Rhetoric: “Changing the world, one upgrade at a time!”
Product/service: App that lets you get better seats at a sporting event.

 

 

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PATH
Rhetoric: “The beginning of history is defined by mankind’s first attempt to record life.”
Product/service: Social network for mobile devices; also sells fancy emoji, such as a red panda drinking coffee.

 

 

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ZAARLY
Rhetoric: “Changing how the economy works.”
Product/service: App that helps you find local goods and services such as Bundt cake, terrarium-making kits, and dance lessons.

 

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SQUARE
Rhetoric: “We want to build products that make people feel like they have superpowers.”
Product/service: Enables mobile payments.

 

 

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EXEC
Rhetoric: Lets “anyone go and do whatever they’re good at.”
Product/service: App that lets you book house cleaners via smartphone (basically Uber for maids).

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And we need your support like never before, to fight back against the existential threats American democracy faces. Fundraising for nonprofit media is always a challenge, and we need all hands on deck right now. We have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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