22 Electric Sheep Employees fired
One of my former employers, The Electric Sheep Company have fired 22 employees today.
I’m told they cited financial problems and refocusing the business.
I’ll add more when I know it.
UPDATE: It appears that ESC has decided to focus on technology like onRez. The MTV group is still in tact as far as I know, but based on what just happened, probably only until the contract runs out.
UPDATE:Those of us that were interested in what Joel Greenberg was doing at the Electric Sheep Company with the Virtual World Ad Network received this email today:
Thank you very much for signing up to learn more about the Electric Sheep Company’s Virtual World ad network. You are receiving this email because you signed up at http://adnetwork.electricsheepcompany.com .
We have been working hard developing the ad network through the summer and fall. It contains innovative ideas on buying and selling of media, as well as displaying engaging in-world advertising. It supports the needs of both in-world companies and real world companies.
I wanted this first email you received from us to have been about inviting you into our beta program. We were a month or so away.
Unfortunately, the Electric Sheep Company has decided to stop funding development of the ad network and has shutdown the project as of today as part of a larger company restructuring. For inquiries concerning this development, please visit www.electricsheepcompany.com.
With regrets,
Joel Greenberg
December 17th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Woa Nelly!
December 17th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
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December 17th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Yeah Sifu, tell me about it. It is the end of the day and I’m still somber when I think of it.
December 17th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
Additional details in an interview with sheeps here:
http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2007/12/interview-elect.html
December 18th, 2007 at 12:34 am
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December 18th, 2007 at 9:56 am
I’m sorry that Electric Sheep is having problems and letting go staff — that’s not a good sign for Second Life and the use of the platform for business. Perhaps a lot of them were put on in anticipation of CSI:NY being a success — in fact, it seemed not to have been as the sign-ups they garnered, while impressive by most small business standards, were said to be only 120,000 — a far cry from the million that CBS thought it could deliver from TV.
As critical as I am of the Sheep for many of their arrogant decisions, I think it’s important that businesses like this exist and do well.
I’m delighted to hear that they are stopping support of the ad network. I don’t see how this ad network can survive without aiding and abetting the 16 m2 microbaron empire that so blights and devalues people’s land purchases all over SL, and often extorts them to “buy back the view”. I think even if the Sheep had had a TOS that tried to avoid placing signs in inappropriate areas (like the 4 corners of 4 pristine waterfront and waterview sims with residential properties, or even on waterfront!), they’d still end up having to somehow be part of the ad blight of SL. I did have several talks with Joel about this problem, I think he did understand the issues, but I never heard a robust assurance that they wouldn’t sell ad spaces to the hordes of 16 m2 extorters.
So while I’m all for advertising capacity to increase in SL, I want it to be regulated, and to be done in such a way that adds value, and doesn’t devalue people’s land purchases and make it impossible to use or sell their land.
December 19th, 2007 at 6:31 am
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