Fishbowl

Leslie  John

Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2018

Fishbowl

Abstract

Fishbowl is a social media app that allows professionals to connect with other relevant professionals both within their company and across industry. Unlike many other social media apps, on which users typically present idealized portraits of themselves, on Fishbowl, people get real. Fishbowl prides itself in being a “safe space” that allows users to feel comfortable interacting with candor—whether to ask difficult questions in order to give and get advice or just to vent or crack jokes. A key part of the user experience is the ability to post anonymously. But to ensure relevance of posts, when a user signs up, Fishbowl verifies their identity by requiring them to provide their full name, employer email address, LinkedIn account, and contact list. Fishbowl has several hundred thousand users and is now looking for ways to monetize the platform. As such, founders Loren Appin and Matt Sunbulli face a mission-critical decision: should they integrate employers into the platform? Although formally integrating employers would provide a much-needed revenue stream, at the same time Appin and Sunbulli worry that doing so could destroy the user experience. Is formalizing employer relationships antithetical to the safe space they have created?

Keywords: social media; platforms; privacy; Technology Networks; Business Model; Trust; Growth and Development Strategy; Decision Making; Consulting Industry; Technology Industry; Advertising Industry; United States;

Language: English

Format: Print

22 pages

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Citation:

John, Leslie. "Fishbowl." Harvard Business School Case 919-013, December 2018.

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Fishbowl

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