Private Equity
Next to Be Fired: HP is considering ousting Leo Apotheker and bringing in Meg Whitman as CEO. And, HP is reconsidering its plans to spinoff its PC business. More Apple Rumors: Al Gore confirms that the new iPhones (that's plural) will be out in October. Facebook's Redesign: FB, last night, added some new features like a ticker and a news feed. Now I'm so confused. Dan Frommer: MSFT needs a new business model for Windows 8 tablets. Fundamental Human Resource: A survey finds that 18 to 30 years think the Internet is as important as food, water and air.
1 min read · 21 September 2011
Stop Now: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings can't stop producing more insane follow-up emails. And, is Qwikster up for sale? Another Madoff: U.S. DOJ accuses Full Tilt Poker execs of operating a Ponzi scheme. Virtual Currency: 10 cool tech ideas to help market a business. True or Not? Facebook's revenue is on target to hit $4.27 billion this year.
1 min read · 20 September 2011
Smells Like Teen Spirit: Nirvana's "Nevermind" came out 20 years ago. Does that mean we're old? Will It Or Won't It: Groupon's IPO means a lot to the Chicago tech community. No More Van Praag Jokes: The person behind Goldman's touchy relationship with the press is.... Netwiches for $15.98: Why Netflix is splitting itself in two. Bye Bye: The original Rays Pizza to close. Thrifty: The White House to buy office supplies in bulk to cut costs. Rumors: Is this the new Apple A5 chip?
1 min read · 19 September 2011
Pay it Forward: Silicon Valley helps each other out. Really? Professor $$Honey: Stern B-School students can take a class taught by Maria Bartiromo. Because It's Friday: The truth about Willow the cat's journey to NYC is revealed. Buyer's Remorse: One-third of those surveyed think the U.S. would be better if Hillary Clinton had been elected president. After the Price Hike: Netflix has apparently stopped growing and subscribers are cancelling. Seed deals vs. "Real" Investments: When is an investment not an investment?
1 min read · 16 September 2011
Yesterday, the Financial Times reported that Facebook is preparing to launch its IPO towards the end of 2012. The offering, which is expected to be one of the world's biggest, had been seen coming in April 2012. Some even hoped that it would happen this year. But Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, is the buzz kill, apparently. The FT reported that Zuckerberg wants to hold off on an IPO for at least a year so that Facebook's employees will stay focused on product developments rather than a payout. Sounds like a reasonable explanation, but the conspiracy theorist in us wonders if there's more to the story. We wonder, for example, if the real reason for the delay is because Facebook's financials aren’t as strong as company sources ...
1 min read · 15 September 2011
Stop the Presses! The iPhone 5 will have a radical new design. And it will be very purdy. Mack The Knife: John Mack, Morgan Stanley's chairman and former CEO, will leave at the end of the year, again. Back On: Groupon laughs at broad market volatility and now aims to go public in late October/early November. Robert Sinn: The buy high/sell low market. Checking FB: Does every Facebook user spend 15 hours a month on the site? More Bad News: RIM's profit drops 47%.
1 min read · 15 September 2011
Some Good News: US bank failures are slowing and the FDIC decides to close a temp office in Illinois. Hertz is Happy: Avis is abandoning its $1.56 bln bid for Dollar Thrifty. Shopping: Andreessen Horowitz, Silver Lake, Providence Equity are looking at Yahoo! In Truth: Mike Arrington isn't a very good angel investor. More Truth: How much of the Internet is actually porn? +snippets: A Google feature lets users share directions, hotel info and other content from Google maps. Walking Away: Many employees would quit without giving notice if they were offered their dream job, says FINS. Not Just Ego: IPOs solve founder crisis for Carlyle and other PE firms.
1 min read · 14 September 2011
Fund News: Jeffrey Feingold named new portfolio manager at Fidelity Magellan. Not Done Yet: James Murdoch (why doesn't he go by Jim?) will have to testify again in the U.K.'s phone hacking probe. Clinging to Jobs: Will older workers ever get to retire? Just Dye It: Is it genetics or stress that is causing President Obama to go so gray? Unprecedented: Two-thirds of existing iPhone users will likely buy the iPhone 5 when it comes out, a survey finds. Withdrawal: Five serious symptoms of Facebook addiction.
1 min read · 13 September 2011
Some Clarity: Why is EBITDA useful? Fred Wilson tells us why. How Much? Hurricane Irene is gone but it's gonna cost insurers up to $5.5 billion. Cameo: Bloomberg Businessweek makes a guest appearance on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Tweet Fight: Arrington issues a challenge to Arianna Huffington but gets no response. Urban Legend: Dentists are not more likely to kill themselves. Super Poke: Why Facebook should buy Yahoo, by BreakingViews. Consider Yahoo! Mail: A horribly unimpressive list of products Yahoo launched under Carol Bartz.
1 min read · 12 September 2011
Omit Needless Words: How to write a good press release, from McSweeney's. The Logged Out User: Fred Wilson gives some insight on Twitter's stats. Jason Calacanis: Do we deserve, or even want, more jobs? How much? We now have some idea of what Google spent for Zagat ($125 mln). Offer Favors: How to seduce investors using the MOOCH system. Confluence: Howard Marks, Oaktree Capital's chairman, tells us what's behind the downturn.
1 min read · 09 September 2011
