Wifi
Canadian Startup Case Study Underscores Canada's VC Challenges
UPDATE: It is worth noting that this 2012 case study on a company in British…
India
Uber's Distortion of the Sharing Economy
I found this important editorial opinion piece in The Guardian, the UK journal. The point…
Silicon Valley Culture
More Pressure on Telecommuting: Now It's Hewlett-Packard
As the pressure on struggling Silicon Valley companies Yahoo, and now Hewlett-Packard have increased, the pressure on telecommuting has increased. Now, Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett-Packard has joined Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer in calling HP’s telecommuting employees back to work. The problem seems to be that telecommuting employees are now being perceived like recipients of food stamps and welfare: freeloaders taking advantage of corporations, being less productive and costing corporations more than they are worth.
France and My French Culture
My New "In Focus" Profile
David Mayes is an advocate for change. However, he is not just someone who shouts slogans from the sidelines, but has actually rolled up his sleeves to see change happen. Whether it is working with coalitions to influence global policies or teaching the next generation, David has had a chance to make a difference for the future. He currently teaches Entrepreneurship at UBCO where he has brought his experiences working in Silicon Valley to bear. He is known for being down to earth, easy to talk to and very friendly. Today David Mayes is In Focus.
Smart meter
Industry Analysis: Utilities Dig In Against Distributed Rooftop Solar
This is another of my Industry Analysis discussions for UBC students. This time it is perhaps as big an industry issue and clash of competing values as big as the smart mobile phone market, which I call the Mega Market War of Titans. It is about the intersection between two industries, which has recently morphed into a contentious clash. This is about disruptive new technology and strategic inflection points. So what has happened?
Silicon Valley Culture
What's the shrewdest, smartest maneuver you've ever seen in business?
I will sanitize this Silicon Valley story. A very large technical workstation company tried to bully a smaller workstation company I worked for. The big company was OEM’ing the small company’s superior technology. The big company stopped paying their bills, running up a huge delinquent payable amount, believing they could leverage the small company into additional concessions. We met with them secretly over Thanksgiving in our offices. In an arrogant gesture, the big company tried to offer 1/3 of their delinquent payables. We literally threw the very large handwritten check back at them and told them to leave. A week later the full delinquent amount was paid, and they complimented us, saying “nothing had impressed them more, than when we threw the check back at them. The supreme irony was that the two senior execs who had flown from Boston to Silicon Valley to meet with us over the holiday weekend, never bothered to look at our financials before trying their arrogant scheme. We had $65 Million in cash in the bank.”
Silicon Valley Culture
Time To Thin Out Ineffective Startup Accelerators
If properly managed and matched to local economic need, resources and capabilities, local accelerators can be a significant local economic asset. However, the problem with so many of these “everywhere else” accelerators, is highly unrealistic expectations to be “the next Silicon Valley”, failure to connect with local economic needs, excessive focus on any and every new Web app, and most importantly, poor management. It is also apparent to me that many of these more remote smaller communities are so distant from the mainstream economy, that many of the “great ideas” that come out of them, are embarrassingly late.
Silicon Valley Culture
My Tour de Silicon Valley: The 10 Most Popular Food Trucks
The history of mid-day dining in Silicon Valley has been through some very tough years, but has recently experienced a revolution. Food trucks.
I will be on my home turf in Silicon Valley this month of August, to see how things have developed with the food trucks, and I will report back here.
Photography
Aerial Footage of Surfers at Santa Cruz Lighthouse Point
This Gizmodo post of aerial drone footage of surfers at Lighthouse Point in Santa Cruz, caught my eye. For those unfamiliar with Santa Cruz, it is a beautiful view, likely to entice you to visit Santa Cruz. For those, like me, very familiar with Santa Cruz and the entire coastline up to Maverick’s, it will make you smile. Aerial photography credit to Eric Cheung.
Nuclear Fusion
The Other "Big Idea" Taking Root in Greater Vancouver: Nuclear Fusion
Maybe three years ago, I recall hearing something about a “nuclear fusion” company starting up in Burnaby. In my mind, the thought of a nuclear fusion company in Burnaby was outlandish and preposterous. Growing up in southern California, and later northern California, I had grown up close and personal with the Space Program, and nuclear physics at UC Berkeley Lawrence Nuclear Labs and the super secret Lawrence Livermore National Labs.
