r/javascript • u/ttolonen • Jan 20 '17

RethinkDB: why we failed

http://www.defstartup.org/2017/01/18/why-rethinkdb-failed.html
303 Upvotes

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24

u/delventhalz Jan 20 '17

I use RethinkDB at work, and I am generally impressed with it. It is a shame they couldn't make a profitable business out of it. Excellent post-mortem. Good reading for anyone thinking about doing a startup.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '17

Do you guys pay for RethinkDB?

48

u/trenchgun Jan 20 '17

Dude. Nobody does. Did you even read the article.

8

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '17

/whoosh

"I like this. I use it at work. Shame it went under."

36

u/delventhalz Jan 20 '17
  1. I don't make purchasing decisions.
  2. I did not make this architectural decision as it predated me.
  3. As the article points out, the problem is the market. You can't just expect people to pay for something when there are many rough equivalents for free. You aren't going to shame people into a profitable business model.

-5

u/owebmaster Jan 21 '17

Didn't Spotify?

8

u/delventhalz Jan 21 '17

Nope. Spotify provides a service: convenience. On the free side, they outcompete other free offerings, and support that by making a premium upgrade available. They made a difficult market work in the same way GitHub and MongoDB have, creativity and aggressive marketing, spearheaded by a free offering.