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withersailor@aussie.zone to Technology@beehaw.orgEnglish · 2 years ago

Unicorn social app IRL to shut down after admitting 95% of its users were fake

techcrunch.com

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  • cross-posted to:
  • tech@kbin.social
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Unicorn social app IRL to shut down after admitting 95% of its users were fake

techcrunch.com

withersailor@aussie.zone to Technology@beehaw.orgEnglish · 2 years ago
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  • tech@kbin.social
An internal investigation by IRL's board of directors found that 95% of the app's reported 20 million users were "automated or from bots."
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  • floofloof@lemmy.ca
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    2 years ago

    “Becoming one of these iconic, impactful companies is akin to winning a gold medal in the Olympics. In fact, probably more challenging,” Shafi wrote in the memo, which was full of similarly outlandish analogies. “Like the Olympics, we know most people don’t want to be Olympians. In the same way, not everyone will want to walk the path we are walking. But for those that want to push their limits and find out what they are capable of, this culture is for you."

    Translation: work long hours and don’t complain, because I stand to make a lot of money from your labour.

    • ImHereForVorePorn@yiffit.net
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      2 years ago

      Ah yes, a cult.

    • get_the_reference_@beehaw.org
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      2 years ago

      What I’m capable of :(

  • UntouchedWagons@lemmy.ca
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    2 years ago

    I have never heard of this before.

    • withersailor@aussie.zoneOP
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      2 years ago

      Only the bots knew of it.

  • ArtZuron@beehaw.org
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    2 years ago

    That’s about twice as much as Reddit and Twitter! /hj

  • animist@lemmy.one
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    2 years ago

    Capitalists love their top-down approach

  • rnd@beehaw.org
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    2 years ago

    What the heck is a “unicorn social app”?

    • Kazumara@feddit.de
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      2 years ago

      Unicorn is a weird finance term, a company that is worth a billion USD without being public https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicorn_(finance)

  • Kowowow@lemmy.ca
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    If you have realistic enough bots couldn’t you just sell thier data?

    • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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      2 years ago

      Why not double down and also have bots click on the ads to drive up the number of impressions too? It’s a self sustaining economy.

    • The Baldness@beehaw.org
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      2 years ago

      I like the cut of your jib.

    • teawrecks@sopuli.xyz
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      2 years ago

      Honestly, I bet you could sell this idea to some investors dumb enough.

  • style99@kbin.social
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    2 years ago

    Imagine being one of those 1 million monthly active users just realizing that you were talking to a bot most of the time.

  • Da_Boom@iusearchlinux.fyi
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    2 years ago

    Shoulda renamed themselves to “less than real life”

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