Innovation Incubator

Remember when I defended our Facebook app at Ithaca by saying it was a great way to build a reputation for a young developer?

According to a Reuters story, some people are treating it exactly that way.

Instead, companies looking to cash in on the excitement over Facebook -- where successful programs can attract millions of users in a matter of days -- are acting more like aggressive college job recruiters handing out generous signing bonuses. "There's this giant competition for brilliant young developers," said Max Levchin, founder and chief executive of San Francisco software developer Slide Inc. "Facebook is this instant leader board of who's best at user engagement and technical ability."