It’s Not Silicon Valley Anymore

It’s Not Silicon Valley Anymore

One of the things I’m most thankful to my parents for* is growing-up in Silicon Valley. To me, that means “a place where starting your own business wasn’t mythology, it was what the neighbors did.” When I started my first company with friends, back in 1989, in my last...
All Your Customers Are Belong To Us

All Your Customers Are Belong To Us

The greatest threat to business, is business, itself — specifically a handful of companies that can control access to nearly all customers. In most of the pre-Web days (B.W.), some companies controlled their own business and brands — certainly in the B2B space and the...
The Coming Extinction-Level Event for Brands

The Coming Extinction-Level Event for Brands

Here’s my dire warning from the edge of the future. In the 1990s, the World Wide Web began to free companies, allowing them to build direct relationships with their customers. Before this, retail stores and other outlets controlled access to most customers. Only...