One of the top VC firms in Silicon Valley, Sequoia Capital, has a message for its portfolio of startups and the rest of the startup community in Silicon Valley: Stop your bellyaching. Get your butt off the couch and back to working 24/7. If you don’t, startups from China are going to take your lunch …more
Thailand’s prime minister decided that there was a better way for handling those pesky questions from reporters. At a press event promoting Children’s Day — yes, there’s a holiday in Thailand that encourages children to have fun … that’s an order — Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha deployed a life-sized cardboard cutout of himself. He then …more
It doesn’t matter whether you sell pizza, cars or solid state memory chips, every company grapples with the question: why should the customer buy me over competitors? Few companies try to compete on price, and even those that do are careful in how they play the low-price card. The next time you’re at Costco or …more
Should publications try to fool the reader? The obvious answer is no, but perhaps a more nuanced view should rule the day. Maybe it’s OK — dare I say helpful — to fool the reader, if by doing so, the publication serves up information that the reader cares about. I raise the issue after stumbling …more
David Stern, who ruled the NBA as commissioner for 30 years before stepping down in 2014, deserves credit for making the long-term commitment to building the NBA’s brand in China. The arrival of Yao Ming certainly spiked interest as did Linsanity — yes I know while Jeremy Lin’s heritage is Taiwanese, he still impacted perception …more
Whether you’re buying soft-serve yogurt, a car or communication services, everyone wants value. After walking through the doors of the Willow Glen Creamery multiple times, I still calculate the per-ounce price for a mini vs. small vs. medium size to ascertain the best value. Yet, the per-unit price shouldn’t be the primary driver behind the …more
Sometimes not. Twitter is testing the concept of longer tweets, allowing a chosen few to access up to 280 characters. A blog post from a Twitter product manager explained the radical thinking: “We want every person around the world to easily express themselves on Twitter, so we’re doing something new: we’re going to try out …more
President Trump has decided to not host the Golden State Warriors at the White House for the traditional light banter — “Hey Zaza, I bet you shop at Whole Foods” — and photo op. Naturally, the President shared his decision on Twitter, calling out Stephen Curry for his lack of enthusiasm. Going to the White …more
White House insiders have confirmed that President Trump plans to replace the Statue of Liberty with one of himself. This was his fallback plan after his quest to join Roosevelt, Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington on Mt. Rushmore proved tougher than it looked. Apparently, President Trump thought the faces on Mt. Rushmore were sculpted out of …more
