[HN Gopher] Ask HN: Snap is killing Zenly, firing team, why cant...
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       Ask HN: Snap is killing Zenly, firing team, why cant team just make
       it again?
        
       This might be a dumb question but I am going to ask it anyway. SNAP
       is killing Zenly and apparently firing the whole team in Paris(1).
       SNAP acquired Zenly for $250-350m in 2017(2). Zenly seems to be
       doing pretty well in different markets including Japan. It has 35m
       active users(3).  Why can't the team just remake it with a new
       name?  I realize they would have to be self supporting for a little
       while, but I assume most/all the employees have severance. Would a
       VC fund this?  For the engineers, if it doesn't work out, they will
       most likely not have a problem getting a job.  What are the
       downsides/obstacles to doing this?  Sources:  (1)
       https://twitter.com/GergelyOrosz/status/1564986820999405568  (2)
       https://venturebeat.com/business/inside-frances-zenly-the-social-
       mapping-app-that-was-just-bought-by-snap/  (3)
       https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/18/social-maps-app-zenly-rolls-out-
       its-own-maps/
        
       Author : bruceb
       Score  : 9 points
       Date   : 2022-08-31 19:37 UTC (3 hours ago)
        
       | b20000 wrote:
       | the real value of these companies is 0$. they have nothing of
       | value besides a userbase which is probably 80% dormant anyway.
        
       | twunde wrote:
       | Legally the biggest issues are non-competes and IP/trade secret
       | laws. These vary jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but at least
       | within the US are usually part of any severance agreements.
       | Pretty much every member of the team who tried to rebuild it
       | would have some risk of being sued and the company could be sued
       | as well.
        
         | [deleted]
        
       | kareemsabri wrote:
       | IANAL
       | 
       | The main issue would be that Snap bought the IP, and the founders
       | signed the irrevocable, interminable, exclusive rights to that IP
       | in any universes known or unknown over to Snap. To replicate the
       | application under a new name would be using IP now owned by Snap.
        
       | t_mann wrote:
       | Who's saying they (some of them) won't? At least build something
       | similar? There are legal, financial and operational hurdles, but
       | ultimately, there's little fundamentally keeping people from
       | coding up a new mobile app.
        
       | ffhhj wrote:
       | They should have sold it to Facebook, looks like their kind of
       | thing.
        
         | kurupt213 wrote:
         | The equity holders don't care, they got their $$
        
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       (page generated 2022-08-31 23:02 UTC)