vBSEO.com Transition - An Open Letter to Juan Muriente, vBSEO CEO

UPDATE: July 30th, 2013

It has been over 2 weeks since I posted this communication to the community. I have made several attempts to get in touch with Juan, and have received no response.

The only progress has been the removal of the ability to purchase vBSEO at vbseo.com at my request, and a post by a staff member indicating that an "official" announcement may be pending. No such announcement has been made.

Due to the lack of any form of response whatsoever, I am now investigating the legal options available for Crawlability's recovery.

In the process of investigation, several new developments have come to light. It is now much more clear why vBSEO has been left without adequate support or continued development. I'm communicating with the other companies involved to clarify and resolve.

I thank those of you who have expressed your concern and support both privately and publicly. I welcome you to continue providing me with helpful insights and information.

I have taken note of all suggestions about how vBSEO may be transitioned or continue its operations. Once this matter is settled, we'll be able to make a final decision about what is next for the company and the software.

###

Original Post:

Hi Juan,

This is an open communication, shared with the community.

As you are aware, after receiving your confirmation, I have notified our customers of your intention to shut down vBSEO.



See English translation at bottom.

Let me start by saying the community is aware of changes in the vBulletin market.

These changes do not excuse you from accepting new sales at vbseo.com while refusing to do support or communicate.

You also cannot lead the customers to believe that development is ongoing or planned for the future, if you have no intentions of doing so.

You have also prevented the company from being sold to others who wanted to actively continue it, most recently with the "Chicago-based group".

It has also come to my attention that Brian and Mert had arranged to acquire the company at some point, and that they were apparently informed that it was not legally possible to do a sale. I was never made aware of any such proposal.

See Brian's recent comments:



Likewise, I was also contacted today by an investor in the forum industry that stated that you have ignored their repeated requests to acquire the company.

As a result of you starting several new projects unrelated to vBSEO with Crawlability Inc. resources, neglecting vBSEO, and refusing to take the steps necessary to allow the company to be acquired, you have allowed the company to fall into a position that may be irreparable.

I'll remind you that we still have thousands of customers running their forums on pre-vB5 software, where vBSEO is still a part of their SEO positioning.

As I have told you repeatedly, I believe that you have neglected vBSEO, misused its resources, and have been ineffective in your role.

Your forced removal of me from the company was a great mistake, and was not an action you were legally permitted to take. You have personally acknowledged that I handled management, an area in which you stated you do not "excel".



Since you have neglected the community, and have no intentions of continuing it, I demand that you now step down as CEO.

Restore access to all accounts, and I will evaluate the state of the company, and decide on how best to either finalize its closing, attempt to restore operations, or prepare vBSEO to be transitioned to a new team that is willing to continue its development and evolution.

As your 50/50 co-founder, I hereby notify you that you cannot transfer or share any intellectual property or make any agreements with 3rd parties. If you have done so already, inform me of whom and to what arrangements you have negotiated. I'll communicate with these parties going forward.

While I understand you would like to push the blame of vBSEO's decline on vBulletin's market position, nobody prevented you from posting an announcement to customers on vbseo.com. Instead you left customers to post pleas for support and order fulfillment. Changing market conditions do not account for complete absence of leadership or any demonstrated sense of concern for customers.

Please send me all account access info, asap. I'll prepare a statement announcing your resignation, which is hereby requested, asap.

We can begin communicating privately if you wish. The requirement is that you stay responsive, and be aware that I will be maintaining transparency with the community regarding company status and our plans.

Sincerely,

Ilia Muriente
vBSEO Co-founder

UPDATE: Translation of email.

 

This is all good drama and everything, but do you think it really wins the confidence of your customers to do this in public?

 

It's more than those customers have been getting from Juan for many months.

 

Hi Peter, when given the choice between informing our paying customers of the status of the company, and hiding it from them while accepting their money, I always choose the former.

This may not be the most favorable experience but customers know exactly where they stand now. No more abandonment. No more stalling. No more failing to deliver support for the products they paid for.

Transparency.

 

I don't know, a little hard for me to buy the "Transparency" argument while your also demanding Juan turn the company over to your control. Seems self serving to me.

It just sounds like a family squabble to me that you have drug out into the public eye. I haven't noticed you or Joe in the admin forums before this, so why now? How come all of a sudden your concerned about the vBseo licensees?

IM also curious... If you were / are a 50% owner that was just locked out by Juan unfairly, how come you didn't/don't sue him?

 

Joey, you can take a look at the vbseo.com forums and the image of Juan's message about closing vBSEO above. Then you'll know why this is happening.

Transparency = telling the truth.

Regardless of your doubtfulness about motives, vBSEO customers have now been given accurate information about the company's standing.

 

1. Because Juan's intentions were only revealed to her with the past 48 hours or so; and

2. The rest has already been explained in another thread. See Dear vBulletin Forum Community - vBSEO is Suspending Operations.

As I said in that thread, it's no longer a family spat and the issue now doesn't even have anything to do with who did what to whom. The issue now is an attempt to salvage the product for the many forum owners still using it.

 

I for one appreciate the transparency, regardless of the motives.

Ilia, how do you feel about making vBSEO open source? It has been suggested a few times in the other thread by different people and I don't think I've seen you respond to that yet.

 

I'm only worried about this getting him upset...

 

That would be an option but not necessarily the best one. I think if the two other partners can take over the product, given that Juan is apparently no longer interested, they can re-establish both the reputation and the integrity of vBSEO.

 

What getting who upset? It appears Juan know longer cares, if that's who you mean. If I were him and had lost interest in a project, I'd rather my legacy be one of a man who gave/sold it over to others to continue than one of a man who simply abandoned his customer base and refused to allow anyone else to take over.

 

Thank you. At least everyone has a way to know what is going on now. It's not being hidden anymore.

Open source is a possibility and one of the options to explore. I think I mentioned it in other other thread in response to a question at some point.

I have to see the behind the scenes condition of the company. If there is absolutely nothing we can salvage, I think open source begins to become a leading option.

Now, with that said, there are other options. We have multiple groups interested in acquiring vBSEO, and there may be a good fit somewhere. Keeping in mind, vBSEO doesn't have to stay as-is right now. The product can (and should have already) evolved or moved into new platforms as we always intended.

 

Right now, my primary concern is about our customers. They have been upset for a very long time.

It's time for transparency and accountability.

However, I also think you're suggesting that him becoming upset might cause him to be non-cooperative. He's already non-cooperative. That is why I hope that the communities appeal is more compelling to him than all of my own appeals throughout the years.

 

Once again - I have to ask why only now are you speaking up? I think your motives are a little suspect, and that also lays some question as to the facts you have stated as true that we can not independently verify.

 

That's what I was thinking and is this not more about if your brother shuts the company down, then you'll lose any chance of possibly gaining money from a sale of vBSEO in the future "maybe" to another interested party, you can still gain financially from it? Not saying that's your motive behind this, but you do stand to lose all if vBSEO closed as a company, while your brother is happy involved in another business venture.

Also, if your brother is no longer interested in vBSEO as a company. Why doesn't he agree with you to sell the business and split the money between all and end the bickering.

 

I suggest you ask Juan to comment.

I don't know how much more transparent I can be. I've posted screenshots of Juan describing the situation in his own words.

You can question my motive. I think it's good to never accept anything at face value and do your own due diligence, except the point of descending into the land of conspiracy theory.

Here's the thing, Joey. Before my announcement, customers did not know the status of the company. Now they do.

All motives aside, the customers finally get an honest response from vBSEO.

 

I'll just add to this. In the event that it must be shut down, I want to do so fairly and transparently so that customers know what is happening and are not simply abandoned.

 

There is nothing to hide. Crawlability Inc., vBSEO, and every other project funded by our operation is my co-investment. If it has any financial value left, I certainly would not waste it. If anyone ever tells you otherwise, they are not being honest.

 

Just an FYI for everyone, Ilia was banned from the site and kicked out of the company. Juan did not use any legal method to do this and considering it is a registered company then it is illegal for him to refuse Ilia access. So my final thoughts on the letter.

I am Steve Moore and I support this letter. I'm with Ilia on this 100%, why debate over if she is right or wrong? In her heart she is right and trying to help the current client base. That is all that matters.