Comment by lmm

> Where the money was coming from when Facebook, Google, Youtube, Twitter etc were really good places that were free to use? They all were working to "make the world a better place" and not making money as they were burning billions each year, challenging the traditional and profitable companies.

But they were visibly creating value. Seeing what my friends are up to and organising parties together is pleasant. Being able to find what you want on the internet in 1 second rather than 30 minutes is an obvious improvement to your life. So even if they weren't profitable in the short term, you could see that there was legitimate money to be made.