Try, Fail, Learn
”If you don’t try you don’t fail, if you don’t fail you don’t learn, if you don’t learn you don’t grow.” — me
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Analyze this, I mean Apple
I’ve long compared Apple punditry to Cold War-era Kremlinology — to predict or analyze an opaque, secretive organization, you’ve got to read between the lines of the few things they do say, and you’ve got to know how to interpret silence.
Gruber reads between the lines and shares what to expect at WWDC. I am okay with whatever comes at the annual Apple fest, as long as I can replace my wheezing MacBook Air.
Dan Frommer tries to read between the lines and analyzes what Tim Cook said at a conference and guesses that there will be Facebook integration in iOS 6 and there will be a new Apple TV (of some sort) in relative short order. He is also predicting unceremonious death if iAd and Ping.
Why Skype has some challenges
From my post, Skype’s present is secure, its future is not
So by all counts, Skype is doing fine under Microsoft ownership. The software giant has kept its paws off the baby. However, the current level of success isn’t enough to mask the fact that the company is facing increased competition from upstarts, who are using social networks and mobile to grow at breakneck speeds and are likely to strike at Skype within a few years. They are all trying to siphon attention away from the classical telephony services – phone calls, SMS and even Skype
Google’s new Chrome OS, Chromebook, Chromebox
From my post on GigaOM, Google launches Chromebook, Chromebox & gets it right
The ChromeOS and the devices based on the OS have reached a point in maturity where they can be used as an ‘optional’ or second computer. It is also benefitting from the fact that most of us have become used to living and working inside the browser.
So you think couples are a bad investment?
Today when I heard about Salesforce buying Buddy Media for $800 million, I tweeted that perhaps that would be the end of venture capitalists saying that it isn’t prudent to fund married couples. I say why not? I mean, just look at this list. Do you really need more testimonials?
- Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner were co-founders of Cisco Systems
- Diane Greene and Mendel Rosenblum were co-founders of VMWare
- Michael & Xochi Birch were co-founders of Bebo
- Caterina Fake & Stewart Butterfield, co-founders, Flickr
- Rashmi Sinha and Jon Boutelle, co-founders, Slideshare
- Brian & Lisa Sugar, co-founders Sugar Inc
- Michael & Kass Lazerow, co-founders, Buddy Media
- Kevin & Julia Hartz, co-founders, Eventbrite
- Victoria Ransom & Alain Chuard, co-founders, Wildfire Interactive.
I personally know four couples on that list and frankly every time I have interacted with them over past decade or so, I have only found admiration in how they handled work and personal life and found a balance. Some say that you are essentially married to your co-founders. I think in this case they literally are.
Despite the success of these companies – there are many more out there – VC community suffers from weird sort of dogma. They look for patterns and use those patterns to make predictable investment decisions. I don’t get it.
