by Patrick Appel
Rob Wheeler believes so:
Groupon's fundamental problem is that it has not yet discovered a viable business model. The company asserts that it will be profitable once it reaches scale but there is little reason to believe this. The financial results of Groupon's traditional business continue to deteriorate, especially in mature markets, and new ventures such as Groupon Now also have failed to drive profits. And unlike the very few successful companies that scaled before they were profitable (think Facebook or Amazon), Groupon's business model does not benefit from significant network effects.
Jeff Bercovici concurs:
Could the fastest growing company in history sputter out just as quickly? At this point, the better question may be: How could it not?
The Dish 