My reasoning is simple (and has already been stated clearly) - The Samwer brothers are notorious for cloning as many hot valley startups as they can, often pixel for pixel.
Might be legal, but it's certainly not an ethical way to do business. Additionally, I would never trust my business with a company that was in it for the money, especially if they could shut it down at any time, as they often do with other clones that aren't quickly adopted.
Lastly, it's clear you and I have a different set of values, therefore I am uninterested in persuading you of anything. The fact that you don't see anything wrong with cloning other businesses makes you a perfect customer for one that does.
Is it really so hard to understand, or are you being intentionally obtuse?
It really is so hard to understand. We've been begging Stripe to come to Europe for ages now. They still aren't here. Paymill managed to open a company in that time, and do what Stripe does.
Most companies are in it for the money, that's why they're formed. Do you think Stripe will continue existing if they don't make money? That said, the part about shutting down companies that aren't quickly adopted is the only real argument you've made in this discussion.
Copying elements from a startup is ethically dubious, sure, but Paymill is providing a valuable service to people who wouldn't otherwise have it. It's "Stripe for Europe", but why is that bad? If frozen yoghurt is all the rage in the valley at the moment, is it unethical for you to open a frozen yoghurt shop in your home town?
