Why does XF not hire developers or raise VC fund?

[TheBigK]

It's none of my business, but I genuinely care for XF and hope it stays successful. I've always wondered why does XF not hire developers or raise VC funding to grow its business?

My Guess:-

• KAM want to be in absolute control of the code (and quality).
• VC funds will mean they'll have to run after (revenue) targets; which might mean attention from the core product gets diverted.
• XF makes enough to keep growing and KAM are happy with the growth of the company.

I'm curious to know whether XF intends to grow into a big corporation or keep things small and simple. Of course, they need not go after external funding; but would love to know why aren't they hiring developers to speed up the development?

 

[Paul B]

I'm fairly sure Ashley, Mike and Kier are more than capable of managing their own business.

 

[Anthony Parsons]

Bravo...

 

[Enguerran A]

(They should at least hire someone for the design #trolloff)

Hiring more people would certainly lead to a change of focus for them since it would take them more time to managing their company. Also, if they were 4 or more, we would have to find a nickname other than kam for them

 

[Lawrence]

... but would love to know why aren't they hiring developers to speed up the development?

More cooks spoil the broth.

 

[Slavik]

Once upon a time there was a company called Jelsoft....

 

[feldon30]

At the very least, XenForo needs to get serious about hiring someone to do Forum Importers. One of the biggest drivers of forum software sales is being able to import from forum software X into your product. XenForo is uniquely positioned to excel at this due to password hashing portability.

 

[Sheratan]

Once upon a time there was a company called Jelsoft....

...and Internet Brands bought them. End.

 

[Naz]

More cooks spoil the broth.

Too many hands in the cookie jar.

 

[RickM]

VC funding would be an extremely dumb move. The end result of VC funding is the exit plan. It'd mean 3-5 years down the line, Xenforo along with all user data would be sold to the highest bidder.

There's no sense in bringing in investors when you really don't need them.

 

[TheBigK]

I sure know that KAM are more than capable to manage their business. Building a business from scratch is no easy thing and they've survived a big legal battle from the IB folks. I'm talking about expanding the business. Say-

• A 24x7 quick chat / telephone support for those who need it
• Developing more features quickly : I don't think adding more developers will spoil the software. It all depends on who's hired.
• Offering custom development - there are lot of talented devs here; but why not something more 'official'? [Open To Debate]
• Dedicated testing team along with the community support
• More inflow of ideas; but KAM remain in charge of what goes into the final software
• More Business!

Of course, that's all how I imagine XF should progress. KAM may have a different vision and I'll always support them. Just curious to know why aren't they choosing to expand the headcount. Maybe I'll learn a few things from their philosophy / vision.

 

[Jeremy]

Hiring everyone you said would require quite a bit of money. XenForo progresses at a decent pace, is relatively bug free, works, and is moving forward with the current developers. The team will expand when the business allows and KAM deem it appropriate. Hiring developers or testers for the sake of a larger team doesn't imply continued success or a better product. Teams should expand when necessary.

 

[New Joe]

It all depends on who's hired.

Paul M from vB maybe

 

[AlexT]

Paul M from vB maybe

 

[Slavik]

A 24x7 quick chat / telephone support for those who need it

The average ticket time is <1 hour. A lot of tickets get picked up within a few minutes, telephone / online chat would really only serve to slow everything down imho as non-technical people on the phone can suck away an hours time while they try to describe the problem, when in reality, giving us a general idea of whats wrong + ftp + admincp access will let us track down an issue within minutes.

Developing more features quickly : I don't think adding more developers will spoil the software. It all depends on who's hired.

Adding new developers is always risky without a solid background and understanding of best practices, not only in general but with the specific software at hand as well.. As we can see with other software out there which has multiple people working on it, the quality often slips, and bugs or exploits are the result.

Offering custom development - there are lot of talented devs here; but why not something more 'official'? [Open To Debate]

As above, who then quality controls all this? Imho custom development belongs with 3rd parties.

Dedicated testing team along with the community support

To test what? Current testing seems to be very thorough with the mix of current internal staff testing, and live testing here on XenForo.com

More inflow of ideas; but KAM remain in charge of what goes into the final software

Suggestions forum.

More Business!

Is a result of a quality product, not a bigger one

 

[AdamD]

Paul M from vB maybe

Please...no.
I Do agree with the point about hiring someone, even on a contract basis, to update the existing importers and add new ones.

 

[turtile]

I think at this point, it would be a bad business decision to hire another developer. What many people don't realize is that hiring another person will actually get less things done for at the least the first 3 months with no gain. They'll have to interview various people, probably relocate someone who is qualified to do a great job, train that person using their own time and hope they work out - if not, repeat all over again...

 

[Paul B]

Why would relocation be required?
Everyone works from home.

As for training, choose the right person and minimal training would be required.
It would basically just be familiarisation with working practices and the vision for the product.

 

[Lisa]

I think at this point, it would be a bad business decision to hire another developer. What many people don't realize is that hiring another person will actually get less things done for at the least the first 3 months with no gain. They'll have to interview various people, probably relocate someone who is qualified to do a great job, train that person using their own time and hope they work out - if not, repeat all over again...

I would imagine an interview over Skype would work just as well as one across a desk.

 

[turtile]

Why would relocation be required?
Everyone works from home.

As for training, choose the right person and minimal training would be required.
It would basically just be familiarisation with working practices and the vision for the product.

That makes sense, but I still think they regardless of how great a developer may be, they'll still be asking questions/need help etc.

I would imagine an interview over Skype would work just as well as one across a desk.

It just takes up a lot of time regardless!