Is the web run by large corporations, or is it powered primarily by peer-to-peer networks? That’s the question behind one of the longest-running wagers of the modern web era — a six-year-old bet between author and web sceptic Nick Carr and Harvard professor Yochai Benkler. Read More »
Tech
A new bill would allow entrepreneurs to raise up to $2 million from individual investors without having to be approved by securities regulators. But would this free up more entrepreneurial firepower to help the economy, or just cause chaos and confusion for investors and regulatory headaches? Read More »
David Shing, the “digital prophet” for AOL, says he expects unfriending and unfollowing to become a major phenomenon, as more people become overwhelmed with social information. I know just what that feels like, because a friend unfollowed me on Twitter recently for that exact reason. Read More »
With Europe’s currency on the brink of collapse, is there anything startups and investors can do to avoid risking their businesses? We asked some of the continent’s top venture capitalists what they are doing to try and sidestep the crisis. Read More »
Want to help stimulate the economy? You may not need to go any further than your web browser’s search box. Each online search engine adds about 50 cents to the worldwide economy, according to a new research report from consultancy giant McKinsey & Company. Read More »
Back in the day, I’d occasionally write “A Letter from Silicon Valley” posts, often outlining what was going on in Silicon Valley. With talk about Angels, Super Angels and Start-ups, I thought, “why not post a report on what I see on a daily basis?” Read More »
According to Google, the company’s search and advertising businesses helped generate an estimated $54 billion in economic value for the U.S. last year, an estimate that’s clearly an attempt to promote the company’s value at a time when it’s coming under fire from legislators. Read More »
While the economy’s longer-term health remains as uncertain as ever, the outlook for tech is – for the next several months, at least – getting brighter. Companies feel more comfortable spending on new technology as well as online ads. And consumers are spending more. Read More »
The brutal economic downturn that’s being called “The Great Recession” is, at least in a technical sense, over. Online advertising and IT spending are inching back up, and many tech companies have seen their stock prices more than double from the lows reached in March. Even … Read More »
Will cloud computing, as some predict, be to information technology today what automation was to the assembly line in the ’80s? If so, what happens to those jobs — and to the people who used to do them? Read More »
It’s far from certain — it’s even a fairly remote possibility — but the possibility of an economic depression is being discussed more and more these days. As is to be expected, the discussion tends to be centered around how much of what we’re used … Read More »
In the near-constant battle between form and function, mobile phones hit a point where they could shrink no more. But with the launch of touch screen devices and voice interfaces to bring out the power in those mini-computers, they are now hitting new usability highs. I … Read More »