A Note About Sabeer Bhatia's Interview 02/23/2009
I received evidence yesterday that some of the things Sabeer Bhatia said in his interview in Founders at Work were false. The evidence indicates that (a) Tim Draper rather than Jack Smith had the idea of putting a Hotmail ad at the bottom of emails sent by the service, and (b) that DFJ didn't disparage Hotmail to other VCs interested in investing. CommentsNik Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:05:53 This is interesting. I had read somewhere else as well about how DFJ tried to screw him over. Must say my impression of DFJ changed quite a bit after reading that interview. But, will probably need to change. Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:11:48 Whether Sabeer's statements are true or false, founders don't do the diligence they should on their investors. Michael Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:25:36 I have met Draper Fisher Jurvetson a number of times over the past years. They are a bunch of arrogant guys who had a few lucky punches in the late 1990s. Since then there funds have not returned any money to investors, as evidenced by reading their LP reports since then. Tim Draper is a spoiled kid who has never worked a single hard day in his life. He scares away strong entrepreneurs, and makes claims that just aren't true. He definitely is not the inventor of viral marketing, yet he always boasts in interviews that "we kinda invented that here at DFJ." Besides, who cares? David Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:26:16 Thanks for making this post public Jessica. I, like many, were influenced by your book and the interview with Sabeer was among the most interesting. I'll take his words with a grai of salt, but your cred has remained solid. Looking forward to future work. Michael Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:15:46 Oh, and there is another guy by the name of John Fisher. He likes to sit back, smiling at you, and say "We have seen the movie a thousand times." Now, if a VC tells you this or similar bullshit like that, just walk out of their office. At least as far as I am concerned, I can see a movie ten thousand times, and I will still not be a good actor. So... Incidentally, Fisher has never worked in a real job before becoming a VC at a relatively young age. So what the hell does he know about building businesses? He hasn't sourced a single deal at DFJ that later became truly successful. Nothing. All the credit at DFj goes to the other guys. He was just tagging along Draper and Jurvetson all those years, making a bunch of money in the process. But he doesn't know shit. He is a generalist. The moment you probe him on some deeper industry insights, you can tell by his staring eyes that doesn't have the slightest idea of what you are talking about. eric Sun, 01 Mar 2009 10:34:27 until the evidence is displayed, its kinda hard to unanimously discount sabeer's words simply because you claim he lied. V.Bhandari Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:49:50 I don't think Sabeer Bhatia has any incentive to lie about his former investors. If he is saying something about DFJ, I think by putting it together with context of having interview for 'founders at work', He was more pointing towards the potential pitfalls one can have. It is just my humble opinion. Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:52:56 Hi Jessica, Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:15:05 Dear Miss Livingston, Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:54:03 Interesting post, I will have lots to do now, as I want to know more about this story. It's hard to believe that Sabeer Bhatia would lie about these things, at least deliberately, but it's business, so... Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:23:53 If a jewel falls into the mire, it remains as precious as before; and though dust should ascend to heaven, its former worthlessness will not be altered. Leave a Reply |  Jessica LivingstonArchivesFebruary 2009 Categories |
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