Author Archives: Rakesh Agrawal

About Rakesh Agrawal

Rakesh Agrawal is a 0-1 product leader. Ex-Amazon, Ex-Microsoft, as well as a number of startups. He tweets at @rakeshsfnyc

Oregon chiropractors ban Groupon type deals; dentistry board has concerns

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Rakesh Agrawal

The Oregon Board of Dentistry is notifying dentists that running Groupons and other daily deals may violate rules against “unprofessional conduct.” From the board’s Web site: !!NEWSFLASH!! Internet Coupon Advertising!!! Please Read!! The Board has recently become aware of different … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Thoughts on love, hate and Twitter, blogging

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Rakesh Agrawal

If you’ve been following me on Twitter or reading this blog, you’ll undoubtedly have noticed that I frequently use words like “sucks,” “shitty,” “terrible” and “horrid.” I also frequently use words like “brilliant,” “genius,” “amazing” and “great.” So, you may … Continue reading →

Posted in usability | 1 Comment

There are only two deal companies that matter: Facebook and Google

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Rakesh Agrawal

Much has been made of Facebook’s decision last week to exit the daily deals space. Yesterday, Yelp told Bloomberg’s Doug MacMillan that it is also exiting the daily deals space. A lot of the analysis has used these examples to … Continue reading →

Posted in facebook, google, groupon | 7 Comments

An open letter to Andrew Mason: You’re wrong

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Rakesh Agrawal

Dear Andrew, I must admit I was surprised to read your email to employees yesterday. I say this because I’ve reached out to your PR team in the course of covering Groupon and they’ve often used the excuse that you’re … Continue reading →

Posted in groupon | 4 Comments

For Groupon employees: my visit to Chicago

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’m interested in meeting with Groupon employees and former employees when I visit Chicago next week. I will be in town from the evening of Sept. 1 through the evening of Sept. 6 and would love to meet with you. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Moo does things right

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Rakesh Agrawal

A couple of years ago, I’d ordered some business cards from Moo. At the same time I’d prepaid for my next pack. Atypically for me, I forgot to note the details of the offer. When it came time for me … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Roundup of my Groupon and daily deals coverage

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Rakesh Agrawal

If you have experiences — good or bad — that you’d like to share, email dailydeals@agrawals.org. I also maintain a companion blog focused on sharing Groupon, LivingSocial and other deal experiences. Start here Why Groupon Is Poised For Collapse Deal-a-day … Continue reading →

Posted in daily deals, groupon, livingsocial | 14 Comments

The terrible numbers that Groupon doesn’t want you to focus on

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Rakesh Agrawal

Note: If you have Groupon or other daily deal experiences to share, please email dailydeals@agrawals.org. Even in its revised S-1 issued last week, Andrew Mason’s letter directs potential shareholders to three key metrics: gross profit, free cash flow, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in groupon | 26 Comments

Why big tech companies often fail

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Rakesh Agrawal

AOL closed an awful week with market cap of $1.26 billion. In December 2005, Google had invested $1 billion for 5% of AOL, giving the company an implied valuation of $20 billion. In less than 6 years, AOL has lost … Continue reading →

Posted in aol | 1 Comment