Networks, Firms and Markets
There has been a renewed interest in the impact that digital technology is having on the boundaries of the firm. In particular there is a sense that networks operating on top of platforms are competing effectively with traditional firms. Examples [...] Read more
Values for a World of Knowledge
I have been thinking about the value implications of embracing knowledge. Maybe I am being overly reductionist here but there are three values that seem to me to be intimately connected with the knowledge loop of learning, creating and sharing. [...] Read more
Solar
The progress with solar technology has been impressive and is well summarized in the following chart which shows the dramatic decline in the price per watt Whenever someone shows a chart like this there will quickly be people who decry [...] Read more
Anxious Investors (the Investor Side)
Fred had a great post yesterday about why investors in private companies experience more anxiety than those in public ones (can’t sell) together with some spot on recommendations for entrepreneurs on how to deal with anxious investors. I have been [...] Read more
Work and Privacy: Hanging on to the Old or Inventing the New?
Too many people seem to be having a moment of Schadenfreude in the wake of the Ashley Madison hack – what were “those” people thinking of having an affair (estimates for the overall percentage of married adults having affairs range [...] Read more
Congestion in New York (and Elsewhere)
Just last week I wrote that there are legitimate concerns about Uber. Using congestion as the reason to limit the company’s expansion while ordering a study seems wrong and exactly the kind of political move that smacks of corruption. Given [...] Read more
Debating the Gig Economy: Going Past Industrial Thinking
Yesterday Hilary Clinton mentioned the “gig economy” in a speech. She said This is of course a topic I have been speaking and writing about a lot. Like Fred, I think that this is a discussion we need to have. [...] Read more
Equating Uber With Transport Innovation Considered Harmful
There were two tweets about Uber recently that I found myself disagreeing with somewhat. Paul Graham tweeted And on the same day Chris Sacca (who is an investor in Uber) tweeted What do I not like about them? Equating Uber [...] Read more
Sailing Faster Than The Wind
Last week I had the opportunity to cross something off my bucket list: sailing faster than the wind. Now at first this sounds like a preposterous idea – if the wind is pushing you, then how could you go faster [...] Read more
