• You know what’s funny, Snapchat is and always was a confusing mess of a service. Didn’t stop it.

    It’s not ease of use that closed-source brings, it’s a brand image. Companies like Apple, MS, Amazon, spend millions annually on shaping their brand. That image makes people feel at ease. It provides context, trust and a sense of familiarity and security because “why would Apple ever spy on me, they are a publicly traded company used by billions?” is more favourable than “oh some geeks made this thing in their basement and can watch me??”

    • FWIW, I don’t think the last sentence is quite right. I think it’s more like, “oh, some geeks made this thing in their basement? ok, but I have this already made by a rich company.”

      Privacy isn’t on the radar, ease of use, design, and how it makes you look to other people are.