After Google Acquisition, JotSpot Partners Left Holding the Bag?
| Update: Kevin has removed his post. A discussion on this appears at Techcrunch. Former JotSpot partners may be in a pickle following Google's acquisition of the online collaboration company. A blogger claiming to work for JotSpot's only gold partner says that Google isn't revealing its plans for the service to partners and has been unresponsive to requests for more information. "What is truly interesting from our perspective is that no one at Google cares about the people who helped build the JotSpot product," writes Kevin. Google wasn't immediately available for comment. The JotSpot Web site reads, in part: "Rest assured--you will continue to have uninterrupted access to your JotSpot account! Our support team is still available to help you." The JotSpot site offers to notify you when sign up for JotSpot re-opens, suggesting the service will return in some capacity. Google did the same with Writely post-acquisition. Kevin offers suggestions for anyone who builds a business around a startup: "If an agreement is made with an application vendor like JotSpot, get some kind of service agreement that extends beyond merger/buyout." And: "Part of the buyout agreement should include clauses specifying a roadmap. Taking an entire company 'Dark' after a merger does nothing but cause problems for customers. In the JotSpot case, no one knows what Google is planning to do with JotSpot technologies. Will customer applications continue to work?" |
