Facebook: College-Only vs Open to Everyone (2006)
by Anonymous
Facebook debated whether to stay exclusive to college students (its competitive advantage) or open to everyone. Mark Zuckerberg chose to open it up despite massive user protests. It grew from 12 million to 2 billion users.
Open to Everyone
2006
year
Global — anyone 13+
user base
Unlimited
growth potential
Chosen — grew to 3 billion users
outcome
Stay College-Only
2006
year
College students only
user base
Limited to ~20 million
growth potential
Not chosen — would have been overtaken
outcome
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