AllThingsD » Therese Poletti http://allthingsd.com Sun, 27 May 2012 01:54:58 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://allthingsd.com/theme/images/logo-rss.jpg All Things Digital http://allthingsd.com/ 144 22 Investor Jitters a Factor in Failed Seagate Deal http://allthingsd.com/20101202/investor-jitters-a-factor-in-failed-seagate-deal/ http://allthingsd.com/20101202/investor-jitters-a-factor-in-failed-seagate-deal/#comments Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:22:34 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=33415 A few years ago, former Seagate Technology PLC Chief Executive Bill Watkins made an analogy comparing the hard-disk industry to Rodney Dangerfield.

“I think it’s unfair not to respect a commodity,” Watkins told Newsweek in 2007. “There’s a tremendous amount of technology in this commodity.”

Yet for the most part, investors have given the hard-drive business, with its razor-thin profit margins, short shrift. A valuation debate, plus a nagging fear about the potential obsolescence of hard disks, may have been the two biggest factors in Seagate’s failure to reach a deal to go private.

Most analysts, however, believe that the deal collapsed purely over price.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20101202/investor-jitters-a-factor-in-failed-seagate-deal/feed/ 0 Changes at HP Under Hurd's Hatchet Were Not All Great http://allthingsd.com/20100819/changes-at-h-p-under-hurds-hatchet-were-not-all-great/ http://allthingsd.com/20100819/changes-at-h-p-under-hurds-hatchet-were-not-all-great/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:00:24 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=28537 The drama and mystery surrounding Mark Hurd’s abrupt departure as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) have shined an unflattering light on the company as we learn how he really changed HP.

Wall Street loved his obsession with cutting costs, but employees did not. He brought even more major changes to the company’s once paternalistic culture, much like his predecessor Carly Fiorina, who pretty much killed the old HP Way.

With Hurd at the helm, HP became an even tougher place to work, with even less emphasis on innovating anything new.

Some former and current employees said that under Hurd, HP’s once collegial workplace has changed again for the worse.

“He was profane, a bully, autocratic, threatening, demeaning, vindictive, and rude,” wrote Chuck House, a veteran of HP, in his blog. House is now executive director of Media X, a Stanford University industry affiliate research program on media and technology, and co-author of a 2009 book, “The H-P Phenomenon.”

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100819/changes-at-h-p-under-hurds-hatchet-were-not-all-great/feed/ 0 Start-Up Crowd Decidedly More Upbeat Going Into 2010 http://allthingsd.com/20100113/start-up-crowd-decidedly-more-upbeat-going-into-2010/ http://allthingsd.com/20100113/start-up-crowd-decidedly-more-upbeat-going-into-2010/#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:01:55 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=20068 The mood seems to be brightening among Silicon Valley start-up companies.

The atmosphere last Friday night at the Crunchies, an awards show hosted by three popular and often competing tech blogs–TechCrunch, VentureBeat and GigaOm–was downright buoyant, especially compared with last year, and had hints of IPOs in the air.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100113/start-up-crowd-decidedly-more-upbeat-going-into-2010/feed/ 0 Is Apple Getting Into the Chip Business? http://allthingsd.com/20081106/is-apple-getting-into-the-chip-business/ http://allthingsd.com/20081106/is-apple-getting-into-the-chip-business/#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:07:40 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=5774 A brewing battle between Apple Inc. and its frenemy, IBM Corp., over the role of an executive who at one time managed Big Blue’s PowerPC chip business may be an early sign that the Silicon Valley wunderkind is considering designing some of its own semiconductors. On Tuesday, Apple said it was hiring Mark Papermaster from IBM as a senior vice president of devices hardware engineering. Apple made the hire despite a lawsuit last week by Big Blue against Papermaster. IBM (IBM) wants to keep him from working at Apple (AAPL) for a year, because of the sensitive information Papermaster is believed to have on its chip business, especially the PowerPC processor, which the companies developed together nearly 20 years ago.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081106/is-apple-getting-into-the-chip-business/feed/ 1 The Web 2.0 Show Must Go On, Right? http://allthingsd.com/20081104/the-web-20-show-must-go-on-right/ http://allthingsd.com/20081104/the-web-20-show-must-go-on-right/#comments Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:00:07 +0000 Voices http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=5662 On Wednesday, about 1,000 of the tech industry’s elite will begin schmoozing at a three-day conference here on Web 2.0 technologies, in what is now a vastly different business climate than a year ago.

At the onset of the Wall Street meltdown, many in Silicon Valley seemed to have their heads in the sand. But in recent weeks, with lightening speed, venture capitalists are suddenly preaching to their portfolio companies to cut costs, generate revenues and become profitable, fast, or die. So it will be interesting to see if the Web 2.0 Summit, founded by Tim O’Reilly, the president of O’Reilly Media Inc., and John Battelle, chairman of Federated Media Publishing and a co-founder of Wired, will also inject more much needed realism without the incessant hype that is often found at these conferences.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081104/the-web-20-show-must-go-on-right/feed/ 1 Cloud Computing Is Subject of Fierce Debate http://allthingsd.com/20081030/cloud-computing-is-subject-of-fierce-debate/ http://allthingsd.com/20081030/cloud-computing-is-subject-of-fierce-debate/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 07:01:03 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=5538 Last month, Richard Stallman, the founder of the free software movement, came out swinging against the concept of cloud computing. His rant was reported by the Guardian newspaper, and a debate in the blogosphere ensued. Stallman argues that users will lose control of their programs, their data and their privacy.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081030/cloud-computing-is-subject-of-fierce-debate/feed/ 2 Sun Micro's Struggles Worsen in Downturn http://allthingsd.com/20081023/sun-micros-struggles-worsen-in-downturn/ http://allthingsd.com/20081023/sun-micros-struggles-worsen-in-downturn/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:00:07 +0000 Voices http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=5290 Sun Microsystems Inc. has been struggling ever since the last economic downturn to consistently regain its footing, and things are grim again. On Tuesday, the systems and software maker gave Wall Street a nasty surprise with the news that it expects to report a worse-than-expected loss in the fiscal first quarter. It is also conducting an internal “impairment analysis” because some its business units may be now worth less than their carrying value.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081023/sun-micros-struggles-worsen-in-downturn/feed/ 0 Tech Start-Ups Make Cuts Amid Downturn http://allthingsd.com/20081021/tech-startups-make-cuts-amid-downturn/ http://allthingsd.com/20081021/tech-startups-make-cuts-amid-downturn/#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:27:41 +0000 Voices http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=5180 Many Internet start-ups are starting to heed the dire warnings of their venture capital investors, and last week, some began cutting costs in order to survive the economic downturn, including laying off employees. Two weeks ago, Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital, angel investor Ron Conway and other investors wrote some scary memos to their portfolio companies, warning them to conserve their cash, cut costs and start generating revenues.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081021/tech-startups-make-cuts-amid-downturn/feed/ 0 Apple and Intel Think Differently http://allthingsd.com/20081016/apple-and-intel-think-differently/ http://allthingsd.com/20081016/apple-and-intel-think-differently/#comments Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:44:30 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=5027 This week, the technology world saw two opposing views on how to deal with the brewing economic downturn. Intel Corp., the world’s largest chipmaker, seems ready for an economic slowdown, with consumers gravitating toward cheaper goods. When reporting third-quarter earnings this week, Intel Chief Executive Paul Otellini told investors that he was seeing “signs of stress” and market uncertainty as a result of the credit crisis. At the same time, Intel saw stronger sales of its Atom chip, designed for low-cost computers and devices. Apple Inc., however, is thinking quite differently.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081016/apple-and-intel-think-differently/feed/ 1 Only the Fittest Will Survive This Downturn http://allthingsd.com/20081014/only-the-fittest-will-survive-this-downturn/ http://allthingsd.com/20081014/only-the-fittest-will-survive-this-downturn/#comments Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:21:28 +0000 Voices http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=4916 Silicon Valley was all a flurry late last week after reports that some respected venture capitalists woke up from their rosy daydreams to the fact that Wall Street’s meltdown is going to have a big impact on their future. Was it really necessary for these VCs to write memos, or as Sequoia Capital did, summon the CEOs of their portfolio companies to an emergency meeting at their Sand Hill Road lair? Some of the messages seemed to be no-brainers, such as “cash is king,” “lower your burn rate” and “if you are not cash-flow positive, get there now.”

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081014/only-the-fittest-will-survive-this-downturn/feed/ 0 Has eBay Set Craigslist in Its Sights? http://allthingsd.com/20081007/has-ebay-set-craigslist-in-its-sights/ http://allthingsd.com/20081007/has-ebay-set-craigslist-in-its-sights/#comments Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:45:07 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=4672 It is ironic that a company whose core business has been caught in a perpetual slowdown has seemingly set its sights on another business–one where the established leader gives away the bulk of its services for free. But that appears to be the case for the online auction pioneer, eBay Inc.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081007/has-ebay-set-craigslist-in-its-sights/feed/ 1 Microsoft's New Ads Aim High, but Fall Flat http://allthingsd.com/20081002/microsofts-new-ads-aim-high-but-fall-flat/ http://allthingsd.com/20081002/microsofts-new-ads-aim-high-but-fall-flat/#comments Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:10:03 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=4525 With the threat of a recession in the air, many companies are going to start looking for places to cut unnecessary spending. I have an idea for Steve Ballmer, chief executive of Microsoft Corp., which, along with most other technology companies may see its sales growth slow as companies and consumers clamp down on spending. Microsoft can save a bundle of money by killing its lame and inconsistent $300 million advertising campaign and going back to the drawing board. Its current campaign just isn’t working.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081002/microsofts-new-ads-aim-high-but-fall-flat/feed/ 0 Tech Companies Vulnerable to Wall Street Woes http://allthingsd.com/20080930/tech-companies-vulnerable-to-wall-street-woes/ http://allthingsd.com/20080930/tech-companies-vulnerable-to-wall-street-woes/#comments Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:04:28 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=4430 Until this week, most technology companies seemed to be weathering the meltdown on Wall Street. But Monday’s sharp selloff on tech shares–which pushed the Nasdaq to its lowest level in more than three years–shows that the ripple effects of the crisis in the financial sector and the near-collapse of the credit markets are being felt. Even Silicon Valley A-list players such as Apple Inc. and Google Inc. were tossed about like small row boats in the wake of a giant oil tanker.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080930/tech-companies-vulnerable-to-wall-street-woes/feed/ 0 Pandora Has Fans, but Are They Enough? http://allthingsd.com/20080923/pandora-has-fans-but-are-they-enough/ http://allthingsd.com/20080923/pandora-has-fans-but-are-they-enough/#comments Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:18:43 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=4163 Pandora, a private company that has created the most popular Internet-based radio service in the U.S., has a lot of zealous fans. In fact, they are a bit like the fanatics who love Apple Inc. and its well-designed products. For its legions of fans, Pandora stands out not just as an Internet radio station but as a gateway to discovering new music. The company’s core technology is based on the Music Genome Project, which essentially matches users’ favorite musicians or songs with other music of similar genres, based on a compilation of hundreds of musical attributes.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080923/pandora-has-fans-but-are-they-enough/feed/ 1 Samsung and SanDisk Can Learn From Prior Deals http://allthingsd.com/20080918/samsung-and-sandisk-can-learn-from-prior-deals/ http://allthingsd.com/20080918/samsung-and-sandisk-can-learn-from-prior-deals/#comments Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:32:08 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=4001 Samsung Electronics Corp. and SanDisk Corp. (SNDK) can both learn some useful lessons from other recent takeover battles in the technology sector, particularly the failed merger talks between Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Yahoo Inc. (YHOO). The first lesson is for South Korean electronics giant Samsung. Hostile, unsolicited deals do not have a great history of success in the high-tech business. In the past, such attempts were viewed as a dicey path to take to win over a company where many of the assets were the employees, who could walk out the door. They were rarely pursued.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080918/samsung-and-sandisk-can-learn-from-prior-deals/feed/ 0 Start-Up Conferences Showcase Tech's Dilemma http://allthingsd.com/20080911/startup-conferences-showcase-techs-dilemma/ http://allthingsd.com/20080911/startup-conferences-showcase-techs-dilemma/#comments Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:17:40 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=3750 This week, two rival technology conferences focused on introducing start-up companies sparred in California, vying for attention from venture capitalists, analysts and the press. On Wednesday, the Inquisitr, a newish tech blog, bemoaned the lack of press coverage of both conferences. One conference, called Demo, took place in San Diego, and the other TechCrunch 50 took place in San Francisco. A few theories about paltry press include the well-publicized animosity between the dueling shows and Apple Inc.’s new iPod announcements on Tuesday. Another possible theory I would like to add to the debate: A lot of the start-ups–many of them in the Web 2.0 arena–were just not that exciting.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080911/startup-conferences-showcase-techs-dilemma/feed/ 0 Is Google Playing Defense With Chrome? http://allthingsd.com/20080904/is-google-playing-defense-with-chrome/ http://allthingsd.com/20080904/is-google-playing-defense-with-chrome/#comments Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:00:01 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=3484 Most science fiction readers have a special place in their hearts or their bookshelves for William Gibson’s short story, “Burning Chrome.” In it, two hackers, or console cowboys, break into the Swiss bank account of Chrome, “a member in good standing of the local Mob subsidiary.” “Burning Chrome” is a classic for cyberpunk and sci-fi fans because in the story, Gibson describes and coins the term “cyberspace.”

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080904/is-google-playing-defense-with-chrome/feed/ 0 Entrepreneur Nervous About Silicon Valley's Future http://allthingsd.com/20080826/entrepreneur-nervous-about-silicon-valleys-future/ http://allthingsd.com/20080826/entrepreneur-nervous-about-silicon-valleys-future/#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:15:50 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=3132 Technology entrepreneur Judy Estrin is worried about the future of technology and innovation in Silicon Valley and the rest of the country. Estrin, who served as Cisco Systems Inc.’s (CSCO) top technology executive during the dot com boom, has a new book coming out next month, “Closing the Innovation Gap,” that should be required reading for whoever takes over the Oval Office in January.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080826/entrepreneur-nervous-about-silicon-valleys-future/feed/ 0 Atom Could Be Intel's Little Engine That Could http://allthingsd.com/20080821/atom-could-be-intels-little-engine-that-could/ http://allthingsd.com/20080821/atom-could-be-intels-little-engine-that-could/#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:12:57 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=2933 At Intel Corp.’s big developer conference this week, the chip giant was extolling the virtues of its newest little chip, called the Atom. The Atom has surprised both company executives and analysts with its popularity among hardware makers. The chip was introduced in March and is aimed at an emerging market of very low-cost mobile devices, especially in developing countries.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080821/atom-could-be-intels-little-engine-that-could/feed/ 0 Inspiration for a Generation of Tech Leaders http://allthingsd.com/20080819/poletti-7/ http://allthingsd.com/20080819/poletti-7/#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:47:27 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=2808 Many inventors and leaders in technology and science have credited Sputnik, the first man-made satellite launched into space by the Soviet Union over 50 years ago, as inspiring them to become engineers or scientists during the frenzied space race that followed in the United States. The image of the beeping aluminum sphere, about the size of a beach ball, passing overhead was indelibly written in the minds of anyone who saw it in October 1957.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080819/poletti-7/feed/ 0 Plug-In Hybrid Cars and Conversions Gaining Buzz http://allthingsd.com/20080814/plug-in-hybrid-cars-and-conversions-gaining-buzz/ http://allthingsd.com/20080814/plug-in-hybrid-cars-and-conversions-gaining-buzz/#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:23:42 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=2644 Even as gas prices hover around $3.80 a gallon, many Americans still drive their gas-hogging SUVs, mini-vans and trucks. Some of these vehicles get as low as 10 to 12 miles per gallon on the highway. The problem is that it is still cheaper to just fill up your tank for $100 than to shell out $25,000 or more to buy a new fuel-efficient car, such as a hybrid Toyota Prius, which uses a combination of gas and electric power.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080814/plug-in-hybrid-cars-and-conversions-gaining-buzz/feed/ 1 Motorola Lays Big Bet on New Handset Chief http://allthingsd.com/20080807/motorola-lays-big-bet-on-new-handset-chief/ http://allthingsd.com/20080807/motorola-lays-big-bet-on-new-handset-chief/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:30:54 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=2343 In landing a new chief executive for its troubled mobile device business, Motorola Inc. is clearly banking on the old adage that “you get what you pay for.” Sanjay Jha, the co-chief executive of Motorola, managed to seal a compensation deal that The Wall Street Journal estimated could be worth $94 million, including restricted stock, options, base pay and a special payment. That’s more than nine times what he was earning at Qualcomm Inc., his previous employer, and would put him easily in the upper echelon of the country’s highest-paid CEOs, according to rankings by Forbes.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080807/motorola-lays-big-bet-on-new-handset-chief/feed/ 0 FCC's Slap on Comcast May Have Dark Side http://allthingsd.com/20080805/fccs-slap-on-comcast-may-have-dark-side/ http://allthingsd.com/20080805/fccs-slap-on-comcast-may-have-dark-side/#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:29:43 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=2274 Comcast Corp. rightfully received a smackdown from the Federal Communications Commission last week for not telling customers that it was blocking some of them from using peer-to-peer services to download videos and other content off the Internet.

Web surfers may want to pause before cheering, though, as some are warning that the move could lead the way to Internet metering–under which people would be charged based on their usage levels instead of the traditional flat rate.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080805/fccs-slap-on-comcast-may-have-dark-side/feed/ 1 Apple CEO's Silence Says More Than His PR Team http://allthingsd.com/20080731/apple-ceos-silence-says-more-than-his-pr-team/ http://allthingsd.com/20080731/apple-ceos-silence-says-more-than-his-pr-team/#comments Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:17:07 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=2197 Phew. Apple Inc.’s iconic Chief Executive Steve Jobs does not have a recurrence of the pancreatic cancer he successfully battled four years ago.

At least that is what investors learned by reading the New York Times, in an odd culmination of events that started last week, after Apple (AAPL) reported its second-quarter earnings and an analyst gently asked about Jobs’s health on the conference call.

Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer’s reply that Jobs “has no plans to leave Apple” and that his “health is a private matter” did nothing to assuage investors’ fears that the legendary CEO could be ill again, based on his gaunt appearance at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June and renewed media speculation last week.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080731/apple-ceos-silence-says-more-than-his-pr-team/feed/ 0 Can the New iPhone Flatten the BlackBerry? http://allthingsd.com/20080729/can-the-new-iphone-flatten-the-blackberry/ http://allthingsd.com/20080729/can-the-new-iphone-flatten-the-blackberry/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:00:05 +0000 Therese Poletti http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=2146 Ice-hockey player Jim Balsillie, who’s also the co-chief executive of Research In Motion Ltd., said in a recent media interview that he plays offense on the ice, not defense. “There’s no glory in defense,” Balsillie commented, according to Bloomberg News. The same could be said about Research In Motion’s leadership position in the smart-phone market, where the long-dominant BlackBerry has been under attack by Apple and its popular entry, the iPhone.

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