Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> Tech companies...

Is Meta really a tech company? It takes a lot of technology to do what they do, just like Netflix. But their core business isn't technology pre se, it's social media and advertising. I don't think they're the same class of businesses as Microsoft or Apple. Google is closer to Meta in terms of their revenue sources, but they have a much more diverse technology offering.

They are trying to become a hardware company with their VR line, but it feels more like a hobby in the Apple sense of the term. I.e., a division with small revenues and without a clear growth path.



You are right. We never called movie studios or TV Channels "tech companies" even though all their work is distributed and created by technology.


Did movie studios and tv channels employ large departments of researchers and engineers that developed and deployed the technology?


Yes? It’s not common anymore due to the technology maturing, but on its heyday the TV channels were on the forefront of technology. See the development of color television and much more recently (and I’m most familiar with it), the digital TV standards.


I don't know.


So Google also isn't tech company. Their core business isn't tech but also advertising after all. Using your logic there are almost 0 pure tech companies.


You could indeed argue that. I think there's a difference between the product and the revenue. Google still feels like they produce a number of technical products, even if their revenue is mostly driven by ads. GCP, Android, and Chrome would be examples.


Personally I'd say that if your company primarily builds its product(s) via programming then it's a tech company?




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: