Why CoStar vs. Xceligent Will Be Better Than Mayweather vs. McGregor

This past Saturday night (for the first time in my 54 years), I ordered a pay per view (PPV) event – the Mayweather vs. McGregor “boxing” extravaganza. My father-in-law was in town, and what’s a better male-bonding experience than watching 2 men beat the crap out of one another?! At least that was what I was counting on. So, I settled myself in for a long night – understanding the pre-event special started at 7 pm EST and the main card fight was over around 1 am.
The result of the fight (and even the progress of the fight itself) went just as expected. It was all hype, with little surprise – it was a spectacle more than a sporting match. At the end, Mayweather substantiated himself as one of the best boxers in history – if not THE best; and McGregor reinforced his unique, ‘tough as nuts’ persona. Mayweather walked away with an estimated $300 million, and McGregor $100 Million. It was mildly entertaining, but nothing compared to the battle about to impact the majority of those who work in the commercial real estate space.
In case you missed my earlier blog on this topic, I outlined the key points in the CoStar vs. Xceligent legal battle here. CoStar is like Mayweather, as it is the incumbent, the dominator, and has the greatest experience – in lawsuits at least. Xceligent is like McGregor in the boxing world, an ‘up and comer’. In CoStar’s perspective they are a threat, in fact – a serious threat.
During the PPV event, the spectators were rooting for the underdog – McGregor; even though the fight was held in Mayweather’s home city of Las Vegas. I get the impression, through readings/blog comments and general discussions with my colleagues and peers, that the CRE public is rooting for Xceligent. Instead of “Conn-or, Conn-or, Conn-or”, you can hear “Xceli-gent, Xceli-gent, Xceli-gent” in the CRE winds.
Like McGregor, Xceligent came out throwing the biggest punch this week with their ‘Stand Up to CoStar’ campaign. The CEO of Xceligent, Doug Curry, is calling out CoStar for what he calls their ‘monopolistic practices’ – going so far as asking for your help in contacting the FTC.
Of course, the big difference is: in the Mayweather/McGregor fight, both participants walked away with $100’s of millions. In the CoStar vs. Xceligent battle, only one will be the financial winner. Unfortunately (in both cases), it is us who ultimately pays these prizefighters and CRE data provider fees.
The big question is – will CoStar continue its dominance in CRE data/information? Or will the underdog, Xceligent, pull one of the ‘Rocky-like’ shocker and beat CoStar down to defeat?
By: Rod Santomassimo (The Massimo Group)
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