Bartz's Big Weakness: Hubris
Earlier I posted about what might be Yahoo's big mistake: putting itself before its customers. But news brings a matched observation for company CEO Carol Bartz: hubris.
Technology
Yahoo's Big Mistake: Putting Itself First
You know things are bad at a company when the earnings release crows about exceeding the "midpoint of revenue outlook range." And given the recent history of Yahoo, there's no question that things have been bad. But has the departure of Jerry Wang and installation of Carol Bartz as CEO changed the company enough? I'm not so sure.
Google Wave: 'Like Real-Time E-Mail. On Crack.'
Developers are finally getting their hands on the developer preview of Google's Wave, which means we can finally get some first-hand accounts of what it's really like to use, unfiltered by Google's own programmers. Wave, demonstrated by Google at its I/O developer conference in May of this year, ...
Moore's Law Reaching Statute Of Limitations
It turns out that Gordon Moore never predicted that processing power would continue to double every two years. What former Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel co-founder Moore wrote for Electronics Magazine in 1965 was that the costs of electronic components will be sufficiently depressed by demand...
Web 2.0 Internet Bubbles: Form Without Substance
Earlier today, my colleague Michael Hickins discussed concerns about a new tech bubble involving Web 2.0. His take was that those who see the expanding iridescent form simply don't "understand the value proposition of Web 2.0," and that a person who raises such doubts "confuses enthusiasm engendered by the potential of the likes of Facebook and Twitter with the 'irrational exuberance' over the likes of Pets.com." I'll disagree. The question is not a simple good versus bad argument, and many in the new round of "enthusiasm" have shown a disturbing number of traits in common with the 2001 dot bomb fiasco.
Apple Mac Units Up, But At What Cost?
Apple has announced its 2009 Q3 results, and of course the iPhone continues its relentless drive toward dominating its market. And on the personal computer side, there was unit growth again. But the cost seems to be the continuation and escalation of the potential profit margin that the company can ...
Amazon and Who Owns Data
The recent dustup over Amazon.com removing unauthorized copies of George Orwell's 1984 from the Kindles of people who had bought the title seems to have settled with muddled excuses from Amazon and righteous anger from many in blogging and the press. But what many seem to be missing is that for the industry, this brings up far bigger questions than what Amazon will and won't do and how consumers might feel about it. Some of what came up goes right to the heart of problems about media and even data ownership that are only going to get more complex and divisive.
Sybase Mobilizes Enterprise Cloud Computing
The wheel of fortune is spinning in the right direction for Sybase these days, making CEO John Chen's decision to move the company into the mobile platform business seem positively prescient as enterprises move towards adoption of mobility and cloud computing. Sybase's results also demonstrate th...
Apple App Store Vs. Android Vs. BlackBerry Vs. Ovi Vs--.
While Vic Gundotra, Google's developer evangelist, argues that mobile applications will be sold through Web browsers rather than app stores controlled by handset makers, most mobile apps today are sold through app stores. Microsoft Windows Mobile (for which there is no app store at this point) as...
Google Angers Mobile App Developers
Google's developer evangelist, Vic Gundotra, may have alienated his key constituency, mobile application developers, by claiming that mobile phone users will end up getting their apps from Web browsers rather than from app stores operated by the likes of Apple, Nokia, Palm, and Research in Motion. ...
Qwest Crows Download Speed -- After CTO Questioned Value
Download speeds are to the telecom industry what megapixel counts are to digital photography: only part of the story and an unbridled attempt by marketing to bamboozle customers into perceiving value that may not be there. So it's not surprising that Qwest would join the bandwagon -- except that in an interview with me not so long ago, the company's CTO himself questions the use of similar numbers by competitors.
Tech Law: Facebook Sued, RIM Settles, Mosaid Sues IBM, More
RootZoo sues Facebook for click fraud; Mosaid sues IBM for patent infringement; TiVO wants nearly $1 billion from Echostar and Dish; Nvidia causes trouble for Rambus; two Taiwan LCD companies get EU paperwork in price fixing investigation; and RIM pays to settle patent suit with Visto.
Web 2.0 Sparks New Bubble Debate
Legendary fund manager James Altucher and verbose venture capitalist Fred Wilson are debating the merits of investing in Web 2.0 properties. While the this debate could seem nothing bigger than a pissing match outside the Tavern on the Green, the stakes are much higher when you consider that not onl...
IBM Becoming First Responder
The details of IBM's second quarter earnings report may reflect IBM's near-term future more than its long-term prospects. Sister-site CNET has a summary of the top-line numbers, highlighted by strong margin and earnings growth despite overall lower revenue than in Q2 2008. Revenue was $23.3 billion,...
Google Grows Non-Ad Revenue Part of Business [UPDATED]
Google's financial performance in the second quarter of the year was most impressive, and there are many places you can read about it. So let's look at some things that most people haven't, like non-ad revenues. One of Google's big weaknesses, perhaps its largest, is the utter dependence on advertising revenue. The first six months of 2009 actually showed that non-ad revenue grew faster and became a slightly larger part of the greater whole. Here is the data from yesterday's release:
Terminal in Riyadh airport hit again, a day after deadly strike killed 12
Trump announces Russia-Ukraine "energy ceasefire" after criticizing Zelenskyy
Steve Bannon on the GOP and the midterms: "We can't afford to lose"
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Iran calls U.S. response "insufficient" amid stalled talks to end the war
Thousands still without power in Florida and Alabama as Isaias moves north
DHS secretary defends livestream of Fort Hood shooter's execution
Pope Leo to undergo surgery after nodular lesion found in lung, Vatican says
Democrat Chris Pappas says "we're taking nothing for granted" in N.H. race
