My personal theory? There's a lot of jealousy in HN users WRT groupon because they didn't start it. It's not an unbelievably complex idea -- I'd wager that many Groupon-hating HN users probably think that their current startup is much more complex/important/awesome. They're bothered by something so simple making so much money.
At least that's how I initially felt about Groupon.
At the same time, my attitude seriously limited my business. I'm trying to build a b2b marketplace, and wanted to build my "marketplace of dreams" (if I built it, they will come). I didn't address SEO or getting initial traffic because that was low brow, and would take care of itself if I built a cool enough product.
Boy was I wrong. That was a long (2+ year) lesson to learn.
At least that's how I initially felt about Groupon.
At the same time, my attitude seriously limited my business. I'm trying to build a b2b marketplace, and wanted to build my "marketplace of dreams" (if I built it, they will come). I didn't address SEO or getting initial traffic because that was low brow, and would take care of itself if I built a cool enough product.
Boy was I wrong. That was a long (2+ year) lesson to learn.