nswans

I respect your desire to stick to your word. However, this shouldn't restrict your pricing over the coming weeks and months. Your time is limited, so if demand is strong your price should increase to better fit the market. You could always make an update later on that includes a note that clients may reserve at the current listed price but it could change over time.

I wasn't equating funding with success. I was saying that labeling the product and company a failure even though very smart people who do this for a living have recently put their money behind the company is a leap. If the company was failing, why would these investors put in their money?

I'm not "lauding", I stated that it appears like the move that both sides want to make. A small company gets to take the lead on mobile where they can potentially make a very big difference, much bigger than they could make with their existing company, and really a rare opportunity that not many people get. Mayer gets good talent that she trusts to help lead an important part of her organization. If it works out like they all plan, then it makes those Yahoo! shareholders who subsidized that acquihire very happy.

You sound bitter.

If you've used the product, you can see that it was beautiful, usable, and the performance was solid. If we assume that the product is failing (even though they've raised two rounds of funding from seasoned and celebrity investors alike), we know that the team can execute well. Mayer wants to move to mobile-first, so acqui-hiring a team who know how to build well for mobile can be a smart move. It may also attract talent who respects that team. Perhaps Stamped wasn't growing like they planned, but I'm sure they and Mayer think that with the right direction at Yahoo they can do great things.

Who knows if it will work out. But it seems like a solid partnership for both sides.

As a designer, spec work an annoying* fact of life but no more than that. There are two reasons to use a service like this: 1] They don't care about design enough to pay for an experienced professional to handle the project, or 2] they care but cannot afford it.

Either way, they aren't my target market. My target market is the overlap of those who care and can afford to pay what I require. Outside of that, companies can do what they feel best for them.

* Annoying because it does promote cheap+fast design, which doesn't usually provide the desired results, and these companies may possibly devalue design even more.