back to article Big three clouds, Apple, Facebook are buying all the best cloud tech

Those of you contemplating a cloud startup have two options: get acquired by one of five companies or build an automatic sueball flinger. So says Sam Altman, president of startup factory Y Combinator, in his annual letter describing the organisation's activities. The letter's full of StartupLand cliches - “Our mission is to …

  1. Mark Simon

    Big three … ?

    Could someone please explain the title:

    Big three clouds, Apple, Facebook …

    … get acquired by one of five companies …

    As far as I can tell the Big three either refers to Apple & Facebook, or the five companies mentioned in the article. I thought we had gone past the New Math … ?

    1. Mark 85

      Re: Big three … ?

      I'm thinking it's missing a "plus" between "clouds" and "apple"... or <shrugs> IDK.

      1. dan1980

        Re: Big three … ?

        Yes, I think that's it: five big tech companies, three of whom also run large cloud services.

        On the article, however, this is what people mean when they say that the tangled patent/IP landscape threatens to stifle innovation.

        1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

          Re: Big three … ?

          Okay, who else thought "The Five Families of IT Technology" ... and wondered who is Fredo in this analogy?

      2. Mark Simon

        Re: Big three … ?

        Got it … this is where the famous Oxford Comma would have been handy:

        Big three clouds, Apple, and Facebook …

    2. Hugh McIntyre

      Re: Big three … ?

      Presumably "big three cloud companies" = AWS, Azure, and Google? (or some other three?)

      And then adding Apple and Facebook makes 5.

  2. A Non e-mouse Silver badge

    perhaps an automated sueball-flinger could be the only cloud startup really worth doing

    Because there are just too few lawsuits in IT, and in some districts (E.g. East Texas) there are judges sitting idle due to not enough work.

    </sarcasm>

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The point of a start up...

    ...is the sell their soul to the devil for profit

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like