I agree. I see single-digit million ARR startups list Google, Facebook, Visa, etc. as customers. Do you think they actually went through the process of getting permission to 1. list as customer and 2. use their logo on the website ?
If they did go through that process, I wonder if there's a written guide somewhere, on how to go about it.
> Do you think they actually went through the process of getting permission to…
Based on my experience working with and for a few startups, it's likely that many of them did not. I've been asked by CEOs to not remove Company X logo even though there was no relationship beyond a customer account which used a Company X email address.
However, as several folks in this thread have noted, the process of working with customers' marketing departments is an opportunity to build relationships. Some won't let you, and that's fine. Companies like Apple often don't even let vendors who are core to their business use their name.
> I've been asked by CEOs to not remove Company X logo even though there was no relationship beyond a customer account which used a Company X email address.
At best, this seems like a pretty easy way to convert them into a former customer.
But if the company itself isn't the actual customer, you don't lose anything by upsetting their legal/marketing team! And if the account's a free trial account, you're not losing any cash even if the individual account owner gets offended on behalf of their employer...
The other wheeze for startups with few or no customers who want some recognisable badges on their home page is padding the "we work with" section with logos of companies where they use that company's product rather than vice versa...
> But if the company itself isn't the actual customer, you don't lose anything by upsetting their legal/marketing team!
Well, those badge-worthy companies can preemptively ban your product as well as future business development/co-marketing opportunities. If you never see yourself having an actual relationship of any kind with those companies, and your ethical bar is that low, then you may decide it's worth it.
Certainly, many crypto companies are practicing this form of wishful thinking right now.
In the scheme of how corrupt and manipulative capitalism in general is, putting up company logos for any reason is far too unimportant to be a low ethical bar. Almost every corporation recognizable enough for their logo to matter are themselves 100x more problematic than their logo being put up
If they did go through that process, I wonder if there's a written guide somewhere, on how to go about it.