My question to Godaddy's CEO at NamesCon: Domain Liquidity for the industry

eternaldomains said:

True, at least not exactly. I just interpreted it that way since it felt like it.

I like that poster though, especially the subliminal message telling verisign to "risign"

Click to expand...

You don't miss much.

If someone wants to start a thread for meme development, feel free to use that graphic to advance that conversation. It is out of scope for thread. However, a viral meme to "spread the love" on Valentines seems like a viable counter-measure against bad policy decisions in closed board rooms.

Godaddy Q4 call done.

Remarkably little discussion about Uniregistry with no mention of price tag other than that it will pay for itself quickly through cash flow, which is probably true.

https://s23.q4cdn.com/406380394/fil...9/q4/2019_Q4_Earnings_February-2020_FINAL.pdf

The main theme was increased velocity of innovation. I believe it.

Wordpress hosting and integrated user journey and life cycles seems to be a legit area for innovation.
WPEngine might be getting a bit nervous right about now.

The SEC filings don't give much more hints so that kicks the can down the road a bit.

Not much on emerging markets or empowerment. Was hoping for some more meat there but given the analyst-centric audience, the CSR talking points likely don't get much play until April investor day.

In the meantime, while much of the industry was distracted with the news of ICANN's cloture vote on allowing the .COM price to go up massively, the more interesting news might have been the $1 billion uptick in the market cap of Godaddy after the Thursday earnings call.

As for the purchase price, the rumor was that the purchase tag was $350 million. It may have ended up being way less, which would be remarkably opportunistic. The pattern of industry consolidation is a bit alarming.

Moreover, the Keiretsu-like alignment with PayPal (payment processors), LinkedIn (social media) and New York Times (mainstream media) via board representations is enough to cause some reasonable concern that Antitrust review is needed before the next big Monopoly-enhancing acquisitions get spawned.

As a voice for a thriving independent domain economy, I will begin to speak as industry observer, commenting more actively in the court of public opinion, notably on Twitter and LinkedIn. I did post a Tweet today about the Godaddy acquisition frenzy here:


I might taper my public commentary if there was some evidence of empowerment. For now, I am not sure the rhetoric is backed up with enough substance. Aman can be an industry dictator, but the evidence of benevolence needs to more substantial for the industry to tolerate it.

Rob Monster said:

In the meantime, while much of the industry was distracted with the news of ICANN's cloture vote on allowing the .COM price to go up massively, the more interesting news might have been the $1 billion uptick in the market cap of Godaddy after the Thursday earnings call.

As for the purchase price, the rumor was that the purchase tag was $350 million. It may have ended up being way less, which would be remarkably opportunistic. The pattern of industry consolidation is a bit alarming.

Moreover, the Keiretsu-like alignment with PayPal (payment processors), LinkedIn (social media) and New York Times (mainstream media) via board representations is enough to cause some reasonable concern that Antitrust review is needed before the next big Monopoly-enhancing acquisitions get spawned.

As a voice for a thriving independent domain economy, I will begin to speak as industry observer, commenting more actively in the court of public opinion, notably on Twitter and LinkedIn. I did post a Tweet today about the Godaddy acquisition frenzy here:

https://twitter.com/robmonster/status/1228536232587747328

I might taper my public commentary if there was some evidence of empowerment. For now, I am not sure the rhetoric is backed up with enough substance. Aman can be an industry dictator, but the evidence of benevolence needs to more substantial for the industry to tolerate it.

Click to expand...

I don't think that's going to inspire them to want to work with you.

JB Lions said:

I don't think that's going to inspire them to want to work with you.

Click to expand...

As long as they stay out of the JD Rockefeller school of business, we're fine:

So this was all you just trying to get at them right. Competitors going at competitors, normal stuff. Not greater good stuff.

JB Lions said:

So this was all you just trying to get at them right. Competitors going at competitors, normal stuff. Not greater good stuff.

Click to expand...

No, not at all.

The thread was a a very authentic invitation to deliver on the rhetoric of empowerment. I 100% can guarantee you of that. It is a shame that Shane intimated otherwise, and I called BS on that.

What I saw at NamesCon was an inspired address from a guy whose sentiment spoke to me. The language of empowerment and the illustrative examples were really encouraging.

This thread was also started before the announcement of the Uniregistry acquisition and before the earnings call of Thursday.

No one will do anything. People can register domains in a gazillion other places, host their sites and get any service that GoDaddy provides at hundreds of other companies. In fact, as others said, registered domains might get cheaper, and we shouldn't be against hoarding, since this is/was an argument used against domaining since day one. Of course, scale matters and GoDaddy probably has 10x the names the biggest domainer had but so what.

They will probably move into e-commerce, incorporation, payment etc. Offer one package at 3 times the regular cost...and mom and pop will be happy, since they have to deal with just one company. GoDaddy has access to essentially unlimited amount of money, and with the right CEO they will keep expanding and expanding. They will probably buy a smaller shopify alternative and push that to all their customers. Then think of other ways to upsell to to their existing custoomers base. Lather, rinse, repeat. Buying domain portfolios is chump change for them...

Rob Monster said:

As long as they stay out of the JD Rockefeller school of business, we're fine:

Show attachment 144728

Click to expand...

Specific to the Anti-Trust topic, from what I know about such cases, it would come down to intent. Over the years there have been many high profile cases. Whether such a case would be tried under the Trump administration, who knows, but the Sherman Act is highly codified with an abundance of case law.

Good primer here:

https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/antitrust-laws

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15

Whether there ever is an anti-trust suit or other major suit, the scope for discovery is pretty vast. A reasonable judge would allow stakeholders to seek factual answers on an array of discovery questions that in many cases are beyond the scope of regulatory oversight.

Here are some sample discovery questions;

- Does Godaddy routinely interfere with domain transfers through policies related to domain locking or changing of authorization codes beyond what would be required to maintain compliance or security?

- Does Godaddy knowingly allow WHOIS records to be wrong as a basis as domains go un-renewed while the actual legal owners cannot be contacted by 3rd parties due to WHOIS obfuscation or errors?

- What is the nature of the commercial relationship between Godaddy, HugeDomains as it relates to acquiring expired domains under terms not available to all others?

- What is the nature and scope of operating engagement with Board-affiliated organizations, in media (NY Times), social networks (LinkedIn), payment processors (PayPal and Intuit)?

- What has been the nature of Godaddy's communication with mainstream media outlets and social media outlets to defame, discredit, de-fund, or other undermine or impair potential competitors directly or by proxy?

These are not accusations. These are questions. A reasonable discovery process would determine whether there is a compelling case. The size of prize is not small for a prosecuting attorney.

On the other hand, even a $1 billion settlement is covered by Friday's spike in market cap. So, the upside of operating with impunity might exceed the eventual downside of a settlement of a Federal case.

To be clear, I believe Godaddy has many lovely staff. However, there are also an abundance of current and former staff who might provide insight into a legacy of anti-competitive operating practices.

For calibration, I have had some concern about Godaddy's Draconian practices already long before Epik became a registrar. It was their Draconian practices that caused the decision to become a registrar:

https://epik.com/blog/bob-parsons-tear-down-your-privacy-wall.html

Keep in mind post was written in May 2010 -- almost 10 years ago! Epik became a registrar in June 2011 through an acquisition, being confidence that Draconian nonsense would not stand the test of time.

In other words, I have been an active observer of Godaddy for a very long time. With the private equity guys now mostly gone, and an empowerment-minded CEO at the helm, it might be a chance to turn the page.

So, let's just hope Godaddy's Board gives Aman the opportunity to project a kinder and gentler version of Godaddy. That is my genuine hope. As long as the playing field stays level, we're absolutely cool.

If we are lucky, Godaddy will be a giant force for good, both in the domain industry and in the world. Aman has declared a agenda of empowerment. He should try to make good on that before the die is cast.

Rob Monster said:

********.

Click to expand...

What you said can probably cause a lot of class action attorneys to take a look, since there's money in that. As for antitrust, we just need to see what Google did and no one has stopped them.

We all know that GoDaddy is not going to stop, in fact they will get greedier by the quarter. If antitrust actions in USA ever stops them, it would be decades later.

nothere said:

What you said can probably cause a lot of class action attorneys to take a look, since there's money in that. As for antitrust, we just need to see what Google did and no one has stopped them.

We all know that GoDaddy is not going to stop, in fact they will get greedier by the quarter. If antitrust actions in USA ever stops them, it would be decades later.

Click to expand...

And for avoidance of doubt, my hope is that Godaddy management takes the opportunity to change the course of history by delivering on the empowerment rhetoric and departing from the extraction legacy.

Rob Monster said:

There is definitely a video out there of the full Q&A so hopefully it turns up.

Click to expand...

Thru this forum you shoot a lot of arrows in GD's direction. I think sometimes you respond too much on emotion. You have a lot of employees that count on you. I don't really think GD thinks about you much/at all but I wouldn't go around kicking that big bear. You're digging at them, they could easily dig at you. Having said that, I can understand why you feel the way you do. You posted the CEO not accepting your LinkedIn invitation and I just watched this video that somebody else posted in the new forum.

My take on it is, it seems to start in the middle of your question, you go on a bit. He says thank you for your comment, turns to somebody and asks "Are we out of time" and the guy basically says yes. And that's it. So I'm thinking why take the question, even if it was the last question if you had no plans on answering it. From the outside looking in, it seems he has some type issue with you and you feel that he disrespected you in public, in front of your peers, and nobody is going to feel good about that, and so you might feel some sort of way about that. But I wasn't there, that's just based on this short clip.

JB Lions said:

Thru this forum you shoot a lot of arrows in GD's direction. I think sometimes you respond too much on emotion. You have a lot of employees that count on you. I don't really think GD thinks about you much/at all but I wouldn't go around kicking that big bear. You're digging at them, they could easily dig at you. Having said that, I can understand why you feel the way you do. You posted the CEO not accepting your LinkedIn invitation and I just watched this video that somebody else posted in the new forum.

My take on it is, it seems to start in the middle of your question, you go on a bit. He says thank you for your comment, turns to somebody and asks "Are we out of time" and the guy basically says yes. And that's it. So I'm thinking why take the question, even if it was the last question if you had no plans on answering it. From the outside looking in, it seems he has some type issue with you and you feel that he disrespected you in public, in front of your peers, and nobody is going to feel good about that, and so you might feel some sort of way about that. But I wasn't there, that's just based on this short clip.

Click to expand...

The question was a good question. This clip from @Aishwin Vikhona was just the followup.

The response was relatively light on substance. That is true, but it was not an easy question.

The thread that ensued here thanks to Shane Cultra has also been a good thread.

All that said, I am starting to conclude that Godaddy's version of empowerment is different than mine.

As for my ego, I can assure you it is not that fragile.

JB Lions said:

Thru this forum you shoot a lot of arrows in GD's direction. I think sometimes you respond too much on emotion. You have a lot of employees that count on you. I don't really think GD thinks about you much/at all but I wouldn't go around kicking that big bear. You're digging at them, they could easily dig at you. Having said that, I can understand why you feel the way you do. You posted the CEO not accepting your LinkedIn invitation and I just watched this video that somebody else posted in the new forum.

My take on it is, it seems to start in the middle of your question, you go on a bit. He says thank you for your comment, turns to somebody and asks "Are we out of time" and the guy basically says yes. And that's it. So I'm thinking why take the question, even if it was the last question if you had no plans on answering it. From the outside looking in, it seems he has some type issue with you and you feel that he disrespected you in public, in front of your peers, and nobody is going to feel good about that, and so you might feel some sort of way about that. But I wasn't there, that's just based on this short clip.

Click to expand...

I believe that the Prudent thing for Anan to have done it that situation was to tell Rob that he would get back with him to address his question at a later time if there was no more time left in that session.

IMO

oldtimer said:

I believe that the Prudent thing for Anan to have done it that situation was to tell Rob that he would get back with him to address his question at a later time if there was no more time left in that session.

IMO

Click to expand...

If they didn't have time, they wouldn't have taken the question in the first place or he could have flat out said let's talk about it later or reached out to him later. There is obviously some issue there.

Rob Monster said:

As for my ego, I can assure you it is not that fragile.

Click to expand...

I'm saying it's pretty normal to want to get at somebody who does that to you in public. Look at your posts in this thread.

"These are not accusations. These are questions."

That is you getting at them.

oldtimer said:

I believe that the Prudent thing for Anan to have done it that situation was to tell Rob that he would get back with him to address his question at a later time if there was no more time left in that session.

IMO

Click to expand...

If the rhetoric was sincere, I think that conversation could have happened.

If it was me in that role, it would have happened.

However, he's a busy guy and is making his mark.

JB Lions said:

I'm saying it's pretty normal to want to get at somebody who does that to you in public. Look at your posts in this thread.

"These are not accusations. These are questions."

Click to expand...

This comment obviously came after the Uniregistry deal (which I predicted) took place. My statements are consistent. If Aman is to be a Dictator, I would be happy for him to be a benevolent one.

On the other hand, if he is a wolf in sheep's clothing engaging in anti-competitive practices. or otherwise impairing human potential, then I would just as soon know that early on.

I wonder how much of this situation has to do with business and financial interests and how much of it has to do with differences in ideologies and politics on both sides. Ideally everyone involved in the domain Industry should work towards empowering the masses through owning domains and websites which ultimately will benefit everyone involved. So I personally don't understand why there has to be so much friction between people both here on the forum and in the domain Industry at large and why people are not willing to work together towards giving domaining and domain Industry more legitimacy in the public eyes by becoming more Conscientious and Righteous both as Registrar and Registry and even Registrants.

IMO

oldtimer said:

I wonder how much of this situation has to do with business and financial interests and how much of it has to do with differences in ideologies and politics on both sides. Ideally everyone involved in the domain Industry should work towards empowering the masses through owning domains and websites which ultimately will benefit everyone involved. So I personally don't understand why there has to be so much friction between people both here on the forum and in the domain Industry at large and why people are not willing to work together towards giving domaining and domain Industry more legitimacy in the public eyes by becoming more Conscientious and Righteous both as Registrar and Registry and even Registrants.

IMO

Click to expand...

No friction really.

Just open source discussion and debate.


The end result is clarity around:

- Core values
- Vision
- Objectives
- Action plans
- Coooperation
- Interoperability

Godaddy has yet to fully climb out of the ivory tower but I think if they did that, it would prove to be a positive development for their organization even if it generates a bit more work along the way.

All that said, I remain hopeful that Aman is a positive force for good and that he might be a benevolent dictator. It is just too early to say. All we can say is that he is not timid.

Rob Monster said:

All that said, I remain hopeful that Aman is a positive force for good and that he might be a benevolent dictator. It is just too early to say. All we can say is that he is not timid.

Click to expand...

I don't know if I like the word Dictator being used in any context that has to do with empowering the masses,

From what I know from history Dictators usually only want to empower themselves and the narrow segment of the population that makes their base.

To be a force for good requires to give attention to everyone else's opinions and inputs and to align a company's actions with it's declared goals and mission statement both when it comes to the Registrars and Registries and also ICANN itself.

IMO

My only complaint about RMs question to GD was that it prevented me asking mine :p

No one wants my honest comments or opinions about GoDaddy. Speak your mind to them peons Rob, and if i was you - "On camera" I would have made an EPIK a** Commercial - for freeeeee lol. You the man Rob.

I have an update on the Peer to peer lending topic.

@Ala Dadan did a video walkthrough of the concept:

https://www.loom.com/share/7d549a62be354c17953adbdbcdaf17d8

Check this out. It is still in the design stage but coming together.

Input welcome.

Rob Monster said:

Check this out. It is still in the design stage but coming together.

Click to expand...

thank you @Rob Monster these are still early-stage concepts, we are finishing the rest of the workflow for DE. and will share screens as they get ready.

Ala Dadan said:

thank you @Rob Monster these are still early-stage concepts, we are finishing the rest of the workflow for DE. and will share screens as they get ready.

Click to expand...

this looks pretty awesome as much as i hate to admit it bc monster is all about promotion. nice work @Ala Dadan!

FlipperC said:

this looks pretty awesome as much as i hate to admit it bc monster is all about promotion. nice work @Ala Dadan!

Click to expand...

Thanks, I think....

In all seriousness, this is still a work in progress, but for the folks who are waking up to the reality of a market with capital allocation challenges, this should be good news.

There is more demand for domain-secured debt than Epik can reasonably handle by ourselves as we have an ambitious development agenda, and also fund loss-making promos.

We'll see how this project progresses and who also comes on board as launch partners.

In the case of NameLiquidate.com we went from concept to launch in 45 days. This one might take a bit longer but a lot of the plumbing is already in place so we'll see.

For now, we are just inviting input and critique to build something helpful and compelling.