What was the biggest surprise of the year? The continued success of Apple. It’s been a quiet period after Jobs’s disappearance and it is very difficult to step into those shoes, I had not counted on the success. The iPhone 6 is a marvel even if it’s not a groundbreaking innovation. But the Apple Watch … Continue reading “Biggest Surprises in 2014: Apple After Steve Jobs”
Author: David Nordfors
Disrupting Unemployment
The global market for unemployment care is huge, waiting to be disrupted. The US alone spends ~$100 billion yearly on unemployment benefits. But the value of under-used resources is much bigger than that. Less than half of all Americans have paid work. Of those who have, many have jobs that don’t do justice to their … Continue reading “Disrupting Unemployment”
The Problem with Bitcoin
One purpose of writing this piece is a vague hope of being proven wrong by some economist who knows better than me. That would be nice. Because what I have come to think about Bitcoin is not nice. Before writing this piece, I presented my common-sense critique to Bitcoin proponents, and so far nobody has … Continue reading “The Problem with Bitcoin”
Mayer’s Challenge: Merging the Cultures of Yahoo and Tumblr
Yahoo + Tumblr is a good match because Tumblr has the huge and vibrant social network, but no revenues, while Yahoo lacks social, but knows how to earn money on ads. Yahoo + Tumblr are a bad match, because Yahoo is a company with 14,000 employees in a corporate organizational culture needing change, while Tumblr … Continue reading “Mayer’s Challenge: Merging the Cultures of Yahoo and Tumblr”
Meet VeeMe: The Virtual Agent Programmed to Think Like Me
Meet VeeMe, my “virtual me” that acts like me and reacts like me. I’ve written about him/me before (here and here). If you think VeeMe sounds creepy, I agree! But I think it will happen. I both fear it and hope for it. So far, the information revolution has consistently performed beyond our imaginations. Twenty … Continue reading “Meet VeeMe: The Virtual Agent Programmed to Think Like Me”
Innovation AND Jobs—They’re Not Mutually Exclusive
This article was written by David Nordfors, president of IIIJ Innovation and Communication; Sven Otto Littorin, former Minister for Employment of Sweden; and Anders Flodström, vice chair of the executive committee of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. Nordfors, Littorin, and Flodström are co-organizing the IIIJ International Summit on Innovation and Jobs, March 18-19, … Continue reading “Innovation AND Jobs—They’re Not Mutually Exclusive”
Crossing Sand Hill Road: SLAC, X-Ray Lasers, and the Venture Industry
Sand Hill Road is a chasm. On one side: the lion’s share of prime Silicon Valley venture capital firms. On the other side, less than half a mile away: the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. If the chasm is crossed, it could bring new wealth to the venture industry, well-being to patients, new manufacturing industries, and … Continue reading “Crossing Sand Hill Road: SLAC, X-Ray Lasers, and the Venture Industry”