Erik Allebest writes about how he acquired the domain Chess.com at a bankruptcy auction for $56,000 in 2005 and grew it into a massive global platform with nearly $200 million in annual revenue by 2027. He emphasizes prioritizing community over paid advertising, choosing pro-consumer business models like freemium instead of aggressive microtransactions, and focusing on organic growth through content and creator partnerships rather than traditional venture capital or heavy ad spend.
- The platform currently has roughly 300 million registered users, with about 10 million daily active users.
- A massive revenue surge occurred when the pandemic, PogChamps, and *The Queen's Gambit* all gained popularity simultaneously.
- Instead of traditional ads as a primary driver, they invest heavily in creating value through videos, memes, events, and instructional content.
- To combat cheating—which is a major challenge for online chess—the company uses a combination of automated systems and human experts.
- The company maintains an "inverted org structure" where managers are at the bottom supporting individual contributors who receive the most celebration.
- The platform currently has roughly 300 million registered users, with about 10 million daily active users.
- A massive revenue surge occurred when the pandemic, PogChamps, and *The Queen's Gambit* all gained popularity simultaneously.
- Instead of traditional ads as a primary driver, they invest heavily in creating value through videos, memes, events, and instructional content.
- To combat cheating—which is a major challenge for online chess—the company uses a combination of automated systems and human experts.
- The company maintains an "inverted org structure" where managers are at the bottom supporting individual contributors who receive the most celebration.
