I recently discovered HBS professor Clayton M. Christensen’s book The Innovator’s Dilemma. In it he explains the theory behind disruptions and why they are particularly menacing if you are not prepared. There are companies like IBM that have managed to survive numerous disruptions by shifting models early or like Apple or Amazon by creating disruptions themselves. Nevertheless, timing is crucial to either shift or create but the real challenge lies in where to shift to or how to disrupt. What are the signs? Read further >

Recently, when Google started Google+ everybody became increasingly aware that customer data is one of the most important benefits on the web. All of the four major players do not allow anonymous user accounts. And Google+ will be more than just social – it will be credit card as well as identity card. Read further >

Traditional publishers say that their traditional subscription-based businesses are in decline. So why did Apple and Google announce the start of their subscription-based businesses? And Tien Tzuo (CEO of Zuora, a subscription-billing company based in Silicon Valley) even stated that “we are seeing a larger shift to a subscription economy that means a lot not just for publishers but for all companies.” Customers are subscribing to software, cars, computing power, and computer storage. This is all about tightening the relationships with customers and creating an ongoing stream of revenues for these companies. Read further >