I have a grudging respect for Jim Buckmaster, the CEO of Craigslist. He has not only provided a place to find free furniture and a platform for the hate-filled rants of the lonely, he has also shocked Wallstreet.
A few days ago, bankers and their ilk met with Mr. Buckmaster – ironic name alert – to talk about “monetizing” his operation. (God, I hate that word “monetize.” It’s a horrific addition to the English language.) He told them that he wasn’t interested. When they asked him how he planed to maximize revenue, he said: “That definitely is not part of the equation. It’s not part of the goal.”
I wonder what the goal of Craigslist is. I mean, it’s fun and everything but there must be some huge idealistic component that I’m missing. To me, it just seems like online classifieds.
2 comments
Joe
December 14, 2006 at 2:45 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
A great thumbs up to Craig and his refusal to give in. All the wall street bigots see are dollar signs in everything, regardless on what the initial intend of the project was.
Once the bottom feeders would have gotten their hands on craigslist, they would have killed it and sucked the life out by squeezing the users for bucks and changing things.
I support Craig and his list, not only for the service, but for keeping it as it was meant.
I know the dollars look mightly inviting…but don’t cave in!
Ryan Oakley
December 14, 2006 at 8:16 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
That “Missed Connections” section makes me afraid to smile at strangers.