I was talking to my neighbors enjoying the evening breeze and she asked what I thought of the future of Facebook. I told her the number 1 issue is Google is laser focused on beating Facebook, and that is Facebook's biggest challenge. Why? Because Facebook is Google's top competitor for Ad Dollars.
HBR has an interesting article on the right way to run an IPO show and of course chooses to poke at Facebook.
The Right Way to Run an IPO Road Show
Over the past 17 years I've worked with hundreds of executives to raise billions of dollars
— from private equity to hedge funds to IPOs. I've seen road shows done right, but I've also seen every mistake in the book.
One part that HBR digs in at Facebook is on pre IPO video.
Procrastinating creates not only a very stressful environment but ultimately a show that is not as well-conceived, customized to the audience, and polished as it must be. If you need proof just look at Facebook's stale video pitch, which was scrapped on the second day of its road show amidst widespread complaints from important institutional investors that it left them little time for their key questions, and was boring to boot.
I watched the video and found it was obvious why Facebook bought Instagram.
The data center related topic is brought up around the 27 minute mark.
I don't know about you, but watching the video the easiest person to watch was Chris Cox, VP of Product.
Business Insider called Cox “a triple threat -- an engineer who can build company-defining products, an operator who can recruit and manage good people, and a long-term strategic thinker,” and named Cox number 2 on its list of 10 Rock Star Tech Execs You’ve Never Heard Of.[5] He is also known for his focus on bringing people and technology together. “Technology does not need to estrange us from one another,” Cox told Wired. “The physical reality comes alive with the human stories we have told there.”[6]
Cox envisions a future in which what your friends recommend on social networks plays a bigger role in what you buy, do, or watch on TV. He told The Wall Street Journal that he believes there will be a time “when you turn on the TV, and you see what your mom and friends are watching, and they can record stuff for you. Instead of 999 channels, you will see 999 recommendations from your friends."[1]