

Why don't most web 2.0 startups use sophisticated algorithms? - amichail

Lack of knowledge/ability?  To avoid infringing patents (even accidentally)?  Most users won't care?  Not important in the problem domain?
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budu3
I don't get the question? I know a lot of startups using all kinds of
algorithms. Xobni(email analysis algorithms/bayesian analysis, statistical
analysis), Topix (classification algorithm), Reddit (recommendation
algorithm), automattic (spam detection/classification algorithm),
krugle(ranking algorithm),joost(distributed system alogrithms) and the list
goes on.

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amichail
How about something that would be publishable in a 1st tier conference?

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far33d
Most of the things published in 1st tier conferences are useless outside of
academia. In my current field (computer graphics) this is glaringly obvious.

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pg
Why do you think they don't?

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amichail
Because the vast majority of users won't appreciate them. Also users like
predictability, particularly in social sites. Clever heuristics are not
predictable.

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SwellJoe
Actually, I think pg was asking "on what do you base the theory that they
don't use sophisticated algorithms?" rather than "why do YOU think that
startups aren't using sophisticated algorithms?", but depending on the
emphasis, it could go either way.

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amichail
If they are using sophisticated algorithms, then they are using them behind
the scenes. For example, such a startup might use sophisticated spam detection
or a clever algorithm to get a performance boost.

This is different from a startup such as Google where PageRank is major
breakthrough that is made obvious to everyone. We don't see many startups like
Google in web 2.0. It seems that web 2.0 is more about harvesting people power
and less about sophisticated algorithms.

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ashu
I bet most people aren't thinking about eigenvectors when they are looking at
Google's search results. The user does not (and should not be made to) care
about sophisticated algorithms; only utility counts (in business, of course,
not in research.)

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amichail
One can still ask the question though: of the startups acquired by major
companies, how many of them use sophisticated algorithms?

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SwellJoe
"One can still ask the question though: of the startups acquired by major
companies, how many of them use sophisticated algorithms?"

Yes, one could. Though it isn't the question you originally asked, and so you
shouldn't be surprised when you don't get an answer to that question. The
question you asked was "why aren't startups using sophisticated algorithms?"
;-)

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gibsonf1
We use some pretty sophisticated algorithms in our startup.

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nmeyer
merge sort ftw.

