Comments on: [breaking] Xtranormal lays off 36; half of its staff http://montrealtechwatch.com/2008/11/25/breaking-xtranormal-lays-off-36-half-of-its-staff/ Technology and Innovation news in Montreal Tue, 22 May 2012 17:16:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Montreal Tech Watch » Coming back to Xtranormal’s case — the adventurous life of a startup http://montrealtechwatch.com/2008/11/25/breaking-xtranormal-lays-off-36-half-of-its-staff/#comment-75551 Montreal Tech Watch » Coming back to Xtranormal’s case — the adventurous life of a startup Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:51:26 +0000 http://montrealtechwatch.com/?p=1228#comment-75551 [...] Last week, Xtrnaormal layed off 36 of its staff, as reported in this article. [...] [...] Last week, Xtrnaormal layed off 36 of its staff, as reported in this article. [...]

]]> By: Montreal Tech Watch http://montrealtechwatch.com/2008/11/25/breaking-xtranormal-lays-off-36-half-of-its-staff/#comment-457332 Montreal Tech Watch Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:16:57 +0000 http://montrealtechwatch.com/?p=1228#comment-457332 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">comments closed here http://tinyurl.com/6rgxtd 2nd time this has been done; hope it's the last one</span></span> comments closed here http://tinyurl.com/6rgxtd 2nd time this has been done; hope it’s the last one

]]> By: Heri http://montrealtechwatch.com/2008/11/25/breaking-xtranormal-lays-off-36-half-of-its-staff/#comment-74269 Heri Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:14:30 +0000 http://montrealtechwatch.com/?p=1228#comment-74269 i think publishing this was finally an error. There are too many opportunities to misunderstood the words behind the original post. this is just the sort of times i wished xtranormal had a public blog with more transparency on what they're doing to defuse stuff like this. comments closed i think publishing this was finally an error. There are too many opportunities to misunderstood the words behind the original post.

this is just the sort of times i wished xtranormal had a public blog with more transparency on what they’re doing to defuse stuff like this.

comments closed

]]> By: Daniel CAUNE http://montrealtechwatch.com/2008/11/25/breaking-xtranormal-lays-off-36-half-of-its-staff/#comment-74267 Daniel CAUNE Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:02:05 +0000 http://montrealtechwatch.com/?p=1228#comment-74267 "The remaining programmers are now activley searching for something better, good news for ubisoft and others." [Posted by Benny, November 26th, 2008 11:19 am] Benny, your statement is pointless. As a member of the staff, as many others, I believe in Xtranormal's adventure. You wrongly interpret the situation. Xtranormal suspends one of its activity to keep going to some others that are expected to better fit the market in a mid-term period. Regarding whether I'm (as a remaining developer) "actively searching for something better, (...) Ubisoft"... ha ha ha, are you kidding my friend? Before you answer a gratuitous answer, just to mention that I have strictly no option, no financial interest in Xtranormal, but technical interests. "If you can't read it, you can watch it": http://www.xtranormal.com/watch?e=20081127000132429 “The remaining programmers are now activley searching for something better, good news for ubisoft and others.”
[Posted by Benny, November 26th, 2008 11:19 am]

Benny, your statement is pointless. As a member of the staff, as many others, I believe in Xtranormal’s adventure. You wrongly interpret the situation. Xtranormal suspends one of its activity to keep going to some others that are expected to better fit the market in a mid-term period.

Regarding whether I’m (as a remaining developer) “actively searching for something better, (…) Ubisoft”… ha ha ha, are you kidding my friend?

Before you answer a gratuitous answer, just to mention that I have strictly no option, no financial interest in Xtranormal, but technical interests.

“If you can’t read it, you can watch it”: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch?e=20081127000132429

]]> By: George Favvas http://montrealtechwatch.com/2008/11/25/breaking-xtranormal-lays-off-36-half-of-its-staff/#comment-74253 George Favvas Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:14:09 +0000 http://montrealtechwatch.com/?p=1228#comment-74253 @Alex G: Capazoo was a fraud from the start. Xtranormal is a unique and innovative product. Ultimately the market will decide if it succeeds or fails, but it would hardly be a blight against Montreal if it fails. It's inevitable that we're going to have failures if we're going to have successes. @Alex G:

Capazoo was a fraud from the start.

Xtranormal is a unique and innovative product. Ultimately the market will decide if it succeeds or fails, but it would hardly be a blight against Montreal if it fails.

It’s inevitable that we’re going to have failures if we’re going to have successes.

]]> By: George Favvas http://montrealtechwatch.com/2008/11/25/breaking-xtranormal-lays-off-36-half-of-its-staff/#comment-74252 George Favvas Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:05:19 +0000 http://montrealtechwatch.com/?p=1228#comment-74252 Heri, I'm not sure this is necessarily a result of lack of planning. As j2 said, cut-once-cut-deep is often the way to go, but it takes guts to make such a bold decision. Look at slide 49 here: http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/10/sequoia-capitals-56-slide-powerpoint-presentation-of-doom/ Heri,

I’m not sure this is necessarily a result of lack of planning.

As j2 said, cut-once-cut-deep is often the way to go, but it takes guts to make such a bold decision.

Look at slide 49 here: http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/10/sequoia-capitals-56-slide-powerpoint-presentation-of-doom/

]]> By: Alex G http://montrealtechwatch.com/2008/11/25/breaking-xtranormal-lays-off-36-half-of-its-staff/#comment-74228 Alex G Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:58:03 +0000 http://montrealtechwatch.com/?p=1228#comment-74228 I have to put this one in the same basket as Capazoo. Doomed to fail, waste of money, another business adding a stab wound in Montreal's startup reputation and making it harder for other local entrepreneurs to start up. First of all, a Montreal start-up without a true revenue model and without sales in the pipeline and a BETA stamp on their site simply can't justify having over 70 employees on board. Second of all, I can't imagine why oh why would anyone in the world want to watch those crappy robot voiced cartoons that all look the same. And now the economic climate is to blame? Come on! Like there is ever a proper economic climate for senseless burning of massive amounts of cash. Richard, whatever you say, 35 people are without work because of their leader's "mistakes" (to remain civil). If I were you I would study the Capazoo case near its end and try to learn from their mistake. In other words, learn to swim, your ship is sinking. I have to put this one in the same basket as Capazoo. Doomed to fail, waste of money, another business adding a stab wound in Montreal’s startup reputation and making it harder for other local entrepreneurs to start up.

First of all, a Montreal start-up without a true revenue model and without sales in the pipeline and a BETA stamp on their site simply can’t justify having over 70 employees on board.

Second of all, I can’t imagine why oh why would anyone in the world want to watch those crappy robot voiced cartoons that all look the same.

And now the economic climate is to blame? Come on! Like there is ever a proper economic climate for senseless burning of massive amounts of cash.

Richard, whatever you say, 35 people are without work because of their leader’s “mistakes” (to remain civil). If I were you I would study the Capazoo case near its end and try to learn from their mistake.

In other words, learn to swim, your ship is sinking.

]]> By: Benny http://montrealtechwatch.com/2008/11/25/breaking-xtranormal-lays-off-36-half-of-its-staff/#comment-74198 Benny Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:19:58 +0000 http://montrealtechwatch.com/?p=1228#comment-74198 What a pack of lies..this company did no focus groups, biz plan or marketing plan..no surprise that after 3 years they end up here. The remaining programmers are now activley searching for something better, good news for ubisoft and others. They decided that in the worst economic crisis since the depression they would launch a luxury consumer product..another smart move. This company has all the same tell tale signs as the last company Richard lead into failure..don't blame this on the VCs blame this on bad management period What a pack of lies..this company did no focus groups, biz plan or marketing plan..no surprise that after 3 years they end up here. The remaining programmers are now activley searching for something better, good news for ubisoft and others. They decided that in the worst economic crisis since the depression they would launch a luxury consumer product..another smart move. This company has all the same tell tale signs as the last company Richard lead into failure..don’t blame this on the VCs blame this on bad management period

]]> By: Annonamous http://montrealtechwatch.com/2008/11/25/breaking-xtranormal-lays-off-36-half-of-its-staff/#comment-74195 Annonamous Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:06:48 +0000 http://montrealtechwatch.com/?p=1228#comment-74195 What a bunch of lies, they never did any focus groups, no business plan or marketing plan...poorly run company all the same tell tale signs of the last company Richard did and went bankrupt. The remaining staff are now activley looking. Here is a company that will launch a luxury product in the worst ecomonimc recession since the depression, another smart move. What a bunch of lies, they never did any focus groups, no business plan or marketing plan…poorly run company all the same tell tale signs of the last company Richard did and went bankrupt. The remaining staff are now activley looking. Here is a company that will launch a luxury product in the worst ecomonimc recession since the depression, another smart move.

]]> By: Jonathan Belisle http://montrealtechwatch.com/2008/11/25/breaking-xtranormal-lays-off-36-half-of-its-staff/#comment-74030 Jonathan Belisle Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:57:31 +0000 http://montrealtechwatch.com/?p=1228#comment-74030 Xtranormal have some enormous skills in Semantic Recognition and thus could come up with very powerful innovations in the year to come. Xtranormal have some enormous skills in Semantic Recognition and thus could come up with very powerful innovations in the year to come.

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