The best comments, quotes, and random zingers we heard this week…
“Feature request: Deduct points … when phone is thrown across room.”– GeekWire reader Jay Force commenting on Kouply, a new mobile app that awards points to couples for positive behavior, such as cleaning the dishes or vacuuming the car.
“Hi my name is Ashwin and I’m 6. And I am an entrepreneur. My idea is Wash Off Stickers.”–Six-year-old Ashwin Gowland pitching his idea at Seattle Startup Weekend, one of the youngest entrepreneurs ever to present at the 54-hour coding marathon.
“Real Estate Appraisal Using Predictive Modeling.’ So does that cover crystal balls too? That’s like patenting ‘Thinking.'”–GeekWire reader Matt Pantana commenting on the patent suit filed by CoreLogic against Seattle online real estate company Redfin.
“You find me the opportunities to sell tech, and I’ll do it.”–Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn in a meeting with leaders of the startup community, responding to comments from angel investor Chris DeVore that the mayor should raise the megaphone for Seattle’s innovation economy.
“Seattle Angel to Entrepreneur: 1) What’s your idea? 2) Do you have a business plan? No. Go create one then come back 3) You have a business plan, do you have a product? No. Go create one then come back 4) You have a product, do you have any users? No. Go get some then come back 5) You have users, do you have any revenue? No. Go get revenue then come back 6) You have revenue, how much. That’s it? Go get more then come back 7) You have revenue, great, when you plan to be profitable? That far out? 8) check back with me in a couple of months 9) You are profitable, and planning to go public? How do I get in on the action?! Bay Angel to Entrepreneur: 1) What’s your idea? 2) I like it, its novel 3) Is there a market? Awesome! 4) Great lets go fund it and make some money! How more can I help.” —A GeekWire reader commenting on the same story about Mayor McGinn’s efforts to do more to engage the startup community.
“l’d like to thank all of you for coming, and we’ll see you next year.”–Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos at the company’s annual meeting at the Seattle Art Museum, a meeting hijacked by protestors who called out the online retailer for its labor and tax practices.
“From his place at center stage, founder and CEO Jeff Bezos seemed to watch the antics as if an alien species had landed in the room.”–Xconomy reporter Curt Woodward commenting on the antics at the Amazon.com annual meeting.
“Amazon is an enigmatic company. It plays a huge role in the tech world and, increasingly, in the Seattle community. It’s good to question and challenge Bezos, when possible, but it’s also smart to listen to him when given the opportunity. Even the protesters would benefit from a better understanding of how his brain works, if for nothing more than to more effectively persuade him.”–GeekWire’s Todd Bishop sharing some of his thoughts after sitting through a frustrating Amazon annual meeting.
“Deceptive pre-checked boxes and fine print obligated consumers to not-so-free trials for subscription services they didn’t want in the first place.”–Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna announcing a $2.4 million settlement with RealNetworks, which was accused of falsely charging consumers for SuperPass, GamePass and other services.
“I’m wary of any dealing with Real now. I’m not convinced that they’ve made real changes that would prevent something like this from ever happening again.”– GeekWire reader and contributor Christopher Budd commenting on the settlement.
“One thing that I love about innovative thinkers and leaders is that they never give up. Even when they’ve failed or fallen to their lost point, they get back up and try again.”– GeekWire columnist Neil Patel in his piece “10 mental traits of truly innovative leaders.”
“Basically, if you think about the phone call, it has been the same thing for 50 years.”–Sidecar co-founder Rob Glaser commenting on the launch of a Sidecar, a new mobile service that allows users to send photos, contacts and location information during a phone call.
A big thanks to everyone for reading and commenting on GeekWire!! Have a great Memorial Day weekend.
