Bunch 1

Mike wrote a post last week explaining how the social game networks earn hundreds of million dollars in revenue. That was a very good read but was not supported by any specific evidences. Knowing Mike and TC, I knew they were investigating this and sooner or later the shit is going to hit the fan. Mike did a boo boo yesterday by going into the lion’s den (As far as I know, he was the first one in the blogosphere to bring this issue to light) and that too without any concrete evidence. He was beating around the bush and did not even name ONE scam that Offerpal clients were running. To add to that he brought up his theory that Netflix might suffer from cancelled subscriptions via Offerpal.

Bunch 2

Anu then used expletives to counter Mike’s case. She then picked his argument case by case and since there was no real evidence of a scam, she went on to legtimise the service by citing that Netflix (among some other big brands) has been a customer for over two years now. To top that all she went to say that NetFlix has better lead tracking mechanisms than a ‘journalist’. Ouch.

Offerpal does have some shady clients. Everyone knows that now.If only Mike had these facts yesterday.

Anu should have politely countered Mike with similar beating around the bush answers. She got her panties in a bunch and went on to insult Mike on a sheer adrenalin rush. Sure, her arguments were to the point and very comprehensive. She threw a stone from inside the glass house. If I were Offerpal, I would be expecting Mount Rushmore to come crash in, none the less. Now the hundred pound Gorilla that TechCrunch is, Offerpal’s client roster is going to be under the microscope and people will expect her to be eloquent in defending scamming clients like these. Every single time. All the time. Good luck with that.

Life is gonna suck for Anu, people at offerpal, their clients, shareholders and the like. If in doubt, ask Sam Sethi.

P.S. : Dean wrote the sensible piece in true VentureBeat fashion, reporting only the facts and not mocking the wounded competitor. Kudos.