Harvard Business Review

MARCH 4, 2016

Even when startups have great products and customer interest, they struggle with long-term growth. Founders may lack the skills and interest to lead those activities effectively — what they typically love is dreaming up and building products. Often, our research shows, the biggest obstacles are the entrepreneurs themselves.

Venture Capitalist 8

Venture Capitalist Sample IPO Long-term 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 24, 2013

I used to think our great technology would take us to leadership in our market — now I realize it is our team, our organization, our marketing and our ambition to sell. Indeed, many would-be entrepreneurs who are drawn by the romantic vision of developing a snazzy new app or product pooh-pooh selling as beneath their dignity.

Entrepreneur 8

Entrepreneur IPO Open-book Marketing 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 2, 2016

Where traditional business models sell products and/or services, matchmaking models sell reduced transaction costs. Choice One means going it alone to build product and find buyers. How should leaderships invest to make their users – not just their platforms – measurably better? That’s platform leadership.

IPO 8

IPO Human Capital Insurance Business Model 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 19, 2014

The 70-year-old will stay on as the software giant’s executive chairman and also its chief technology officer — the latter title a formalization of a role he was already playing. And of the remarkable tech IPO class of 1986, which included Adobe, EMC, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems, Oracle has been the best performer.

Company 8

Company Chief Technology Officer IPO CEO 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 16, 2016

For example, as it grew, Facebook found that its early “move fast and break things” culture had to be funneled into focused technical teams and product groups to make its product development process faster and less erratic, and for it to have a chance of meeting the demands of its new public shareholders following its IPO.

Banking 13

Banking Strategy Film Operations 13

Harvard Business Review

JULY 27, 2017

This meant that the company was leaving out huge innovation potential — thousands of startups with billions of funding — that could help BMW innovate anything from core vehicle technology (batteries, sensors, artificial intelligence software) to manufacturing innovations (internet of things, cybersecurity, robotics).

Venture Capitalist 8

Venture Capitalist Meyer Innovation Fixed Costs 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 6, 2014

In each iteration, we spent a lot of time thinking about what might make the best use of our existing product. In hindsight, this thinking turned out to be far less important than what we learned about leadership, control, and trust, which ultimately were reflected in how each of the businesses was created, capitalized, and staffed.

Chief Financial Officer 9

Chief Financial Officer Learning-by-Doing Operations IPO 9

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 27, 2018

The number of listed firms can decline because of three developments: 1) bankruptcy, failure, or closure of listed firms, 2) delisting of firms going private or acquired, and 3) decrease in number of initial public offerings (IPOs). Furthermore, as production shifts to Asia and more and more U.S.

IPO 10

IPO Company First-mover Advantage Intangible Assets 10

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 1, 2015

For many consumer tech companies, this post-IPO pressure on financial returns is too high. Because they are innovative by nature, consumer tech companies need to invest heavily in research and development, which could be done if they had a portfolio of products at different stages of maturity, with some of them being established cash cows.

IPO 8

IPO Company Maturity Short-term 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

However, CEOs often don’t have the career background and education that would equip them to personally lead the process of new product development. This would mean, for example, working in R&D to lead pharma innovation, new product development for high tech, and product design or merchandising for fashion retail.

CEO 8

CEO Innovation Pharmaceuticals Merchandising 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 12, 2017

Yet in this short period, digital technologies have upended our world. Digital technology is widespread and spreading fast. With products that rely on network effects, these players enjoy economies of scale and dominant market share. Digital technologies are poised to change the future of work. higher than a year earlier.

Innovation 8

Innovation Policies Technology Politics 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 20, 2014

In this letter, I’d like to explain more fully why I view the $51 billion already spent by Apple on open market (including accelerated) share repurchases under your leadership as a major misallocation of resources for both the company and the U.S. Public shareholders, including Carl Icahn, do not invest in Apple’s productive capabilities.

Innovation 10

Innovation EPS Incentives Supply Chain 10

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 14, 2014

The company, founded in 1996 by an engineer from Xerox’s legendary Palo Alto Research Center , Pradeep Sindhu (who remains its chief technology officer and vice chairman), was one of the highest flyers of the fin de siècle tech stock boom. Attempts to branch out into new product areas (security and enterprise switching) haven’t gone well.

Hedge 8

Hedge Chief Technology Officer Maturity IPO 8