zlacker

Hacker News does not depend on me buying products from it for it's survival. If you can't see the difference in why a company cannot depend on word of mouth, then you're just really not trying to have an honest conversation.

>>dylan6+(OP)
Plenty companies don't advertise by shoving unwanted ads in people's faces.

>>tcfhgj+qa
There are plenty of companies I haven't heard of. QED

>>dylan6+Gh
and yet they survive somehow

>>tcfhgj+As
Many of them don't. Consider that BMW famously didn't run ads for most of its history... but now it does.

>>nickff+my
Many doing ads don't.

>>dylan6+(OP)
Hacker News depends on a constant stream of new users to keep the site alive, just like any other discussion forum. But you're right that unlike the average company this site seems to be OK with a stable but small user base and isn't aiming for unbounded exponential growth.