Apple after Steve
A few weeks ago Steve Jobs anunced that he will be taking some time off due to health issues. It is obvious that this decision, made by an iconic leader will generate a lot of speculation. One key question is what will happen with Apple after the Seve Job’s era. I personally think that great leaders and managers are hable to implement corporate structure’s and success that can go beyond their tenure. Is this the case of Apple? maybe, Steve Jobs is a great leader, but it is also know that he takes a personal interest and has a direct influence on many aspects of the corporation.
There is a good chance that Apple can continue to be successful because of the corporate culture and vision, also Jobs will probably drive a well defined and executed succession process. This is not a guarantee but it can happen.
That is just my opinion.
New Year, expectations, callanges
Happy new year to all! Here we are, in 2009. This is a year of great expectations, Obama will take over as the first African American president, and there are already a lot of challenges. The economy is still in crisis and the Israeli - Palestinian conflict is at one of the most critical violent points.
In South America we have Hugo Chavez in a new attempt to reform the constitution so he can stay in power forever. An almost similar situation is happening in Colombia where some of Alvaro Uribe’s supporters are proposing a constitutional reform so he can be reelected one more time. The Colombian case is different that the Venezuelan since Uribe is more worried about actually governing the country that on been president forever, also (I believe) the constitutional change is to allow a third reelection, not unlimited reelections.
Going back to what 2009 means, this will be the end of the “Bush doctrine”, and a new beginning, full of hope. It could also be the beginning of a new era of Cuban and USA relationships, as well as the continues emergence of Russia and China of global powers. In 2009 a scientist will become the US Secretary of Energy.
2009 will be full of stories and ideas to talk about on this blog, a log of opinions will be generated and debated. I look forward to a great year.
That is just my opinion.
Can the Car industry survive? (Ford, GM and Chrysler)
The Big 3 are in deep trouble, they are even asking the USA government for money. How they got here is a long story, it includes their quality problems, fierce competition from Toyota, economic crisis and other things. But can they survive? That’s the question of the moment. One thing that seems clear is that they need to do deep changes in how the make business, and they also need to very well communicate to the public what are they doing and planning to do in the near future. After giving billions of US dollars to the financial industry, the government will just not give the Big 3 a check. The Congress and any government agency will want guarantees that the companies will rectify and adapt to the new times.
Can the help come form another source? Sure, there is a lot of money in the world. The Saudis have a lot of cash, European and Asian corporations also have a lot of money, but they are smart investors and if they put their money in the car industry they will want union reforms, quality improvements, cost reduction, and other measures to be implemented. What about the Oil Industry? they are “family”. well Exxon, BP, Shell may have the money but with the changes in oil prices and the imminent pressure to move to alternative energy, investing in cars may not be a good bet.
So are the legendary Big 3 from Detroit done? Not completelly, they will stay around, perhaps not in the same form, but they will.
That is just my opinion.
So, what will happen with Yahoo?
As most of you know Jerry Yang left Yahoo and the troubled company is now in the search for a new CEO. What will happen now with Yahoo? With its decreasing value and the overall economic situation we may see more changes in Yahoo. For example the reduction or elimination of certain services (Yahoo Life was the first one to go). This strategy could help the company reduce cost, but it is unlikely that it will allow it to grow in value. There are plenty of online services that have taken and will continue to take Yahoo’s market share, so unless we see a new and highly innovated Yahoo branded service (new or revamped), the once king of internet searching is for a long and painful path.
Another option: Can Yahoo sell some of its businesses or units like Del.ic.us or Flickr? Unlikely, these have been very successful. Will another company buy Yahoo? It could happen. Microsoft may come back and try to buy it (at a much lower price than the original offer) or another buyer may show up. NBC could be an option, so it could increase its online presence by integrating Yahoo with Hulu and other services like iVillage.com. Can Google write a check? I am not sure if the Department of Justice will allow it. What about AOL, well there were rumors, so who knows. Any other options? There NewsCorp (yahoo + myspace). With a strong Euro we may see an international buyer, like for example Telefonica (this is just a wild especulation).
I like Yahoo (I use yahoo mail and Flickr) so I hope it stays for a while, also it is important to mantian a “ballance of power” in the internet galaxy (it can’t just be google, right?).
That is just my opinion.
A sad day for the Web 2.0
Today Mobuzz.tv the Internet TV company based in Spain anounced the suspension of all activities due to the financial crisis. Basically the investors decided to take a pause and wait to see what will happen with the economy and the market. I am not going to criticied the investors, I don’t know them and in a capitalist system you have to take decisions like this. Now, I am a big fan of Mobuzz.tv and I will love to give them a lot of money so they can survive, but I can’t, I can only give them a few Euros. My other way to help is by writing this post and adding a similar one to the oyesto.com blog (in spanish).
This situation is sad, Mobuzz produces great shows and is one of the few non-USA Internet TV companies with a lot of success. I really hope they can make it.
In adidtion this is a test of today’s community power, lets see how true solidarity can become action and financial support.
That isjust my opinion, and btw here is a video with more details:
Save Mobuzz from Anil de Mello on Vimeo.
UPDATE: Mobuzz.tv is back! they got some help and it seems like they will continue to be around for some time.
Update Jan 2009: Mobuzz went out of business a few weeks ago, very sad…I hope their team comes back with something new.
Internet and new technologies vs. Traditional TV
My good fiend Gubatron has a very interesting post on his blog about Nextflix’s business model and how it competed with traditional TV. I have to say that for some time I have been considering the cancelation of my Direct TV subscription and relay on iTunes, Hulu, Joost, bittorrent, local TV and NextFlix (or Blockbuster). The main reasons for these are: save money and the fact that I can get most of my content via the Internet. Besides Gubatron, another good friend (Modulor) also canceled his cable subscription and is now getting his content via the Internet (Internet celebrity Kevin Rose also made a similar announcement).
What am I waiting for the big move? two things: NBA and European Soccer. So far I have not found a way to watch my favorite sports over the Internet, once I do is fame over and no more Direct TV (aprox $100 a month).
I hope the cable and satelite companies are aware of the changes in the market. More Internet users and more on line content means less need for TV. It is also important to add that now is very easy to get video content on game consoles like XBOX 360 and PS3. In addition we may be seen TVs with Internet capabilities in a no that distance future.
The TV market is changing, and providers need to adapt or they will pay the consequences.
That is just my opinion.
The (financial) cost of Presidential Campaigns, is there better ways to use the money?
Over the years I have seen a few presidential campaigns, and it seems like with time they have become more and more expensive. A lot of money (a lot) is expended on political campaigns, specially for president. Millions and millions of dollars go to TV time, events and other elements associated to the campaigns. This has a direct consequence on the election’s results: the more money you have the bigger chances you have to win. Is simple mat: the more you have to expend, the more time you will be on TV, radio and other media. You will have more opportunities to sell your ideas and proposals to the country.
Now, here is the question: is this correct? Should unlimited quantities of money be used on campaigns? Although I believe that politicians should use all available, legal and ethical ways to win, I also believe that there should be a limit on campaign expending. This is just to much money and there are a lot of people that needs help. I don’t know what the limit should be, I am sure that there are experts that can figure that out.
Besides having a limit on how much to expend, another mechanism that will help people is to force the candidates to allocate a percentage of the donations they receive towards charity. I am not very familiar with the USA or foreign laws that cover this matter, but maybe some of this is place already. Actually this can benefit the candidates, giving charity in time of election? sure, they will take that.
That is just my opinion.
The unlimited capacity of the countries (and their people)
Last night I was reading about how Ireland evolved from a poor country, to a well developed one in approximately twelve years. Ireland’s economic development was due to a number of factors, including: investing in education, been open to free trade and foreign investment and EU support. Today Ireland has strong technological, pharmaceutical and tourist industries that have helped the country accomplish a high GDP.
Was the Irish case a miracle and unique? I have to say that is very special case, however we can find other examples on how countries can rise from crisis and become world economic powers. Japan is a good example. A country with no significant natural resources, which developed a culture of discipline and education has gone from the devastation of WWII to one of the 8 most powerful countries in the world, a status that Japan is unlikely to loose.
Dubai seems to be another good example. An oil rich country that is investing in technology, logistics, tourism and health care, basically building for the future when oil may not be needed or will not be as expensive as today. We could go on with other examples, but is also important to remember that not all countries have taken this path. Many countries have missed opportunities, and miss managed wonderful natural and human resources.
Countries like Venezuela, Cuba, Argentina and Bolivia are suffering the mistakes of past and present leaders. Venezuela has the biggest oil reserve outside the Middle East, an economic power that should be used to build the best universities in the world and a non-oil based economic system. Tourism, Information Technology, logistics, media, all industries that can take advantage of Venezuela’s location and natural resources. In the case of Cuba, their education system should be oriented to form entrepreneurs, a new class of business men and woman that will develop the country for the next decades. Health care, sports and education has always been seen as Cuba’s strength, this should be seen and business opportunities that will help develop the Island’s economy. Can you imagine a Dell’s call center in Havana? An MLB academy and theme park in Santiago de Cuba, among other things. Is this happening in these countries? Not really.
Some governments don’t seem to be interested in good examples like Ireland or Japan, they don’t want to invest in education, which is the most important thing for any country in the world. Castro, Chavez, Morales, only care about a “revolution”, when actually what the world needs is an evolution, an evolution of ideas.
That is just my opinion.