Here is a quick snapshot of the stock performances of key technology companies over the past year, from Aug. 8, 2014, to Aug. 7, 2015.
And here are a few takeaways:
- Oracle, Intel and HP are in the red, because clearly the market thinks they are part of the legacy Silicon Valley and are slowly ceding their empires — much like the Ottomans — to encroachments from upstarts and rivals.
- HP might have a great legacy, but it is losing its preeminence to Amazon Web Services and others. Software is sold differently today than when Oracle or Microsoft started.
- Qualcomm is slumping because it has competitive challenges, at least for now. But as someone who has followed it for a long time, I wouldn’t rule out a rebound.
- I am surprised by the minuscule decline in Workday: I thought that like Salesforce.com, it would benefit from the huge shift to Software-as-a-Service.
- Microsoft and Cisco used to be part of the slumpers, but Wall Street likes management changes and seems to be relatively bullish on their prospects.
- Netflix is a good proxy for over-the-top television.
- Amazon is a good proxy for post-internet retail, logistics and commerce infrastructure.
- Amazon is the new way to do computing and infrastructure.
- Facebook is a bet on the future of online advertising.
- Apple seems to be gaining by doing its thing, despite the whiff with the Apple Watch.
Bottom line: You can see the impact of mobility, social, the cloud, and broadband on society. We are watching videos differently, we are buying things differently and we are connecting with one another differently. Oh, and we are doing it all the time, from everywhere. The 12-month stock performance of these stocks is a good reminder of how quickly things change, especially in the technology industry!
What are your takeaways from the chart? Share them in the comments on my Facebook page.