April 21, 2017

orange-juiceLast year, the startup Juicero surprised many in the tech world by becoming one of the industry’s most talked about gadget companies. Venture capitalists invested more than $120 million in the enterprise based on the promise of its $400 Internet-enabled juicing machine. Working sort of like a Keurig coffee maker, the device uses single-serving packets of chopped fruits and vegetables to make cold-pressed juice. Just insert a packet, press a button, and out comes a refreshing beverage without any fuss. Continue reading

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April 18, 2017

ibmIn the 1980s IBM was one of the first companies to make remote work a priority for its employees. Starting with “remote terminals” installed in staffers’ houses, by 2009 40 percent of the tech company’s 386,000 employees worked from home. In the process, IBM reduced office space by 78 million square feet and started saving $100 million in annual costs. Other companies took IBM’s lead and began to follow the remote trend as well. In fact, 25 percent of American Continue reading

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February 3, 2017

Yahoo launched in the early days of the Internet and quickly became one of the most popular sites in the world. At its height, the news and search site was valued at more than $100 billion. Last month, though, Verizon bought Yahoo for $4 billion, completing the final stage of the company’s long decline. This video tells the story of Yahoo’s fall from the pinnacles of Silicon Valley success.

Questions:

 

  1. What lessons can other tech companies learn from Yahoo’s Continue reading
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A few weeks ago, a team of investigative journalists detailed the tax-avoiding habits of numerous rich individuals and organizations in a massive data dump called the Panama Papers. The release of these documents inspired debates in the media about corporate tax avoidance and whether the government should put stronger regulations in place to prevent it. While some politicians tried to avoid these arguments, at least one has thrown himself into the fray as a strong advocate for closing tax Continue reading

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February 12, 2016

alphabetIn October 2015 Google underwent a thorough restructuring and emerged as Alphabet, a multinational corporate parent for the tech giant’s many enterprises. After all, Google has explored a variety of different fields in its 18-year history, including recent forays into self-driving cars and home automation. As these projects stacked up, however, managing them all under the Google name became difficult both for operational and marketing reasons. Now, separate companies working under Alphabet’s umbrella manage all these outside ventures. For instance, Continue reading

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February 5, 2016

In Silicon Valley’s immensely competitive entrepreneurial environment, many startups end up failing shortly after they launch. But among these many fallen firms stand a few “unicorns,” or private tech companies with valuations worth more than $1 billion. At these lucky startups, the strategy is to increase the firm’s value as much as possible until it can be sold to the highest bidder. Not only does such a sale grant enormous payouts for founders and investors, it can also enrich regular Continue reading

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In today’s Internet-centric world, companies of all kinds must establish a professional web presence or run the risk of wasting away in the dark ages. Accomplishing this task is often easier said than done, though, especially when it comes to setting up a website compared to a social media profile. Not only do websites require knowledge of coding and design in order to work, but they also need to have a logical URL address so users can easily access it. Continue reading

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April 21, 2015

 

California’s Silicon Valley is known the world over as a hub of technological innovation. Along with established giants like Google and Facebook, the Bay Area suburb is home to countless startups hoping to launch the next big social network or app. But not every entrepreneur in the Valley is a code-focused Mark Zuckerburg-type. In one burgeoning industry, scientists at several startups are cooking up revolutionary ways to use plants as meat substitutes in food.

These aren’t like the bean Continue reading

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March 12, 2015

These days, any office must have a unified communications system in place in order to compete. Years ago this could have been accomplished by installing a series of linked landline phones with conference call capabilities. Now, however, services like Google Voice allow users to ditch their landlines and receive calls directly on their smartphones. Companies currently spend as much as $75 billion per year on Internet voice systems. This figure is expected to increase as disruptive startups take unified communications Continue reading

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February 9, 2015

At most Silicon Valley startups, the entrepreneur takes the role of the hero in stories about a company’s founding. Arguably, though, the venture capitalist that funds the business from the beginning also plays a huge role in its success. After all, an entrepreneur can have a million dollar idea but still lack the $1 million investment she’d need to start the company. This dependence on seed capital can become a source of great frustration for entrepreneurs. While someone can spend Continue reading

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