Technology, Capital Markets, Corporate Governance, Leadership, Entrepreneurship
Category: Entrepreneurship
Headcount reductions continue. We have updated our list of recent Tech company layoffs. Access the Excel version HERE. The PDF version may be accessed HERE. It is difficult to imagine a snap economic recovery as companies continue to shed talented people. The mythical "V" recovery would require all components of the global economy to recover … Continue reading Tech Layoffs & The Mythical “V” Recovery
Layoffs are not only taking place across the retail, restaurant, travel and hospitality industries. A number of other industries including the Technology industry have absorbed their fair share of layoffs as well. Some early-stage Technology companies are conserving cash by replacing cash compensation with equity. The list below includes approximately 60 companies (primarily Tech companies) … Continue reading Layoffs Have Extended Beyond Hotels and Restaurants
Great CEOs are great communicators (see our TEK2day article: Successful CEOs Share These Six Attributes). What constitutes "great communication?" Great communication is: Clear and conciseConsistentDefines ExpectationsHonestUnambiguousValues listening on par with delivering the message
We attended Polaroid Day at MIT Museum this weekend and were reminded of the genius of Edwin Land, co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation. "Like visiting a shrine" is how Apple co-founder Steve Jobs described meeting Land. Polaroid's Board did a great disservice to Land and his company. Film Forever Polaroid's original instant camera - 1947's … Continue reading Polaroid Day & “Polavision” Instant Video
Over the past several years as I've read articles about Uber, WeWork and a number of technology startups, my takeaway is that many of these companies lack focus. They lack a focused mission. They lack strategic and operational focus. I understand the argument that institutional investors want growth in the absence of yield, but too … Continue reading Growth at All Costs Leads to A Lack of Focus
We are working on a project that has me thinking about the "long tail". For those who took Statistics you may recall that the long tail is the portion of the distribution where occurrences appear far away from the distribution's center. A long tail business strategy is one where the service provider makes hard to … Continue reading The Long Tail Will Differentiate You
Incentivize Prospective Participants with A Seat at the Table MoviePass shut down on September 14th. We do not have first-hand knowledge of MoviePass’ ever-evolving business model. However, we do know that MoviePass never quite figured out how to properly incentivize movie theaters to drive audience participation. When building new network businesses, it makes sense to … Continue reading If You Build It They Won’t Necessarily ComePremium
Magna International (tkr: MGA), got its start as a machine tool shop. Today, Magna is automotive supplier to major Auto OEMs, Tier I suppliers, Heavy Equipment manufacturers and Rideshare companies such as Lyft. Humble Beginnings Magna counts BMW, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Tata, Tesla, Toyota, a number of the China-based Auto OEMs as well as a … Continue reading Competition Comes from Below: Part II
When considering enterprise technology purchases – regardless of industry – corporate buyers would do well to think like investors. There are three legs to the technology evaluation stool: 1.) What is the technology provider’s value proposition? 2.) Who is the technology provider? (corporate buyers often pay insufficient attention here) 3.) What is the total cost … Continue reading Technology Buyers Would Do Well to Think Like Investors
The below content is comprised of excerpts from an article previously published by the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Charles A. O’Reilly recalls the time that his wife encountered Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in the Whole Foods market parking lot in Palo Alto. “She was walking out when he was walking out, and when he … Continue reading Narcissistic CEOs Carry Greater Legal Risk
