// startup autopsy
Power.com
Facebook sued it into oblivion
platform dependencyRegulatory Kill
Forced closure by regulatory action · Fatal mistake: Built the entire business model on aggregating and scraping user data from Facebook and other social networks without permission, making the company legally indefensible.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Power.com founded by Steve Vachani as a universal social network aggregator allowing cross-platform account management.
FUNDING
Company raises $6M to expand its social aggregation platform and grow user base across multiple networks.
REGULATORY ACTION
Facebook files lawsuit against Power.com alleging CFAA violations, CAN-SPAM violations, and unauthorized data scraping, effectively threatening the entire business model.
FRAUD EXPOSURE
Court rules against Power.com; $711,000 default judgment awarded to Facebook, signaling the end of viable operations.
SHUTDOWN
Power.com shuts down completely after failing to sustain operations under the weight of legal judgments and loss of platform access.