This Seems Like a Better Way To Shut Down A Company
This morning I got an email from Ryan Mickle the co-founder of a now defunct startup Yardsale. He was explaining that they have joined forces with ‘Gone’.
After yesterday’s craziness with Homejoy I couldn’t help but notice some key differences.
Things they did right
The relationship is clear — I know who Yardsale is and what the relationship is to this new service.
They gave me an unsubscribe button — There was a clear way to end emails.
They didn’t carry over my account to the other service — I downloaded the app and tried logging in, tried re-setting my password, nothing worked. “Not found” — It seems that an email marketing list is pretty much all that’s been shared.
They weren’t creepy — That’s a hard one to nail down, but the experience and email seemed clear, human and upfront.
They did an op-in — This is the biggest thing that sets this apart. Asking customers to “opt-out” of a transition seems shady to me. This opt in is a clear non-creepy way to transition a company.
What could be better
Be more clear what happened to my account information — “Yardsale” never had sensitive information, credit card or my home address. The expectation of security and transparency carries less of a burden in my view. I frankly don’t really care what happened to my Yardsale data. But, as a matter of principle it’s still important to respect your users and their data.
Quick follow up from yesterday’s article
I am super glad Aaron has jumped into the conversation on Hacker News. I think most of the mis-understandings and bad press could of been avoided had the transition been handled more like these guys from Yardsale handled it. All credit to Aaron for taking responsibility and working to correct his mistakes. There was a lot of great innovation in Homejoy and I hope his next project pushes us all further.
Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.
- Steve Jobs
Data transparency and responsibility are important topics. Especially when it comes to a sale or shutdown of a company. I hope to keep the conversation alive.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Reach out to me on twitter @johnsalzarulo
