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Lessons from the Failed Facebook Creators

Recently, I was watching the movie “The Social Network” which is based around the creation of Facebook.  The movie (which I love) focuses on Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and his efforts setting up what is now the world’s most prolific social media resource.  By recent counts, Facebook has over a billion users globally.

However, what struck me about the movie was the experience of the Winklevoss twins (played by Armie Hammer) as they try to engage a programmer (Zuckerberg).  The Winklevoss twins and business partner, Divya Narendra (played by Max Minghella), come up with an idea for a business but lack the technical skills required.

They try to engage Zuckerberg to build their social network site, which they later argue led to the creation of Facebook.  Unfortunately, for these young entrepreneurs, their programmer is otherwise engaged and does not deliver the work for them despite numerous promises.

Entrepreneurs and programmers – an unhappy marriage?

Does the scenario in this movie sound familiar?  If you’re not technical, it stands to reason that you’ll need technical help to build your online presence.  So you engage a programmer to help grow your business and off you go.  However, what if you find yourself like the three young entrepreneurs with a whole bunch of empty promises and no delivery?

The potential challenges engaging a programmer, especially for a non-technical entrepreneur, are as follows:

The programming equivalent of a pre-nup?

There are no guarantees in business  but there are some things you can do to minimise your chances of getting a programming dud:

Summary

Just like the Winklevosses and Narendra, many entrepreneurs (especially non-technical) face challenges getting programming done.  To protect yourself, work out your business plan then engage a programmer.  IT interview questions particular to relevant programmer specialisations provide important piece of mind (along with a confidentiality agreement if need be).  Otherwise the only settlement you’ll get is a note-to-self reminding you to do your homework next time.

 

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