07-29-2002, 03:17 PM
Well, since you asked, the discussion is about disruptive technologies and how big companies can never capitalize on technologies that turn an industry on its ear.
The professor was asking for examples of companies that haven't done well, and those that have.
For the large companies that haven't I brought up how HP and Compaq have handled the use of the Internet for an industry that was tailor-made to exploit it. They just stood there and watched Dell pass them by.
For a company that has capitalized, I said Cisco. They don't worry about spending billions to try and come up with the next big thing, they just keep their eyes out and buy the next best thing. They look out for upstart companies whose cutting edge technology can integrate into the Cisco product.
Then I said something about poop.
The professor was asking for examples of companies that haven't done well, and those that have.
For the large companies that haven't I brought up how HP and Compaq have handled the use of the Internet for an industry that was tailor-made to exploit it. They just stood there and watched Dell pass them by.
For a company that has capitalized, I said Cisco. They don't worry about spending billions to try and come up with the next big thing, they just keep their eyes out and buy the next best thing. They look out for upstart companies whose cutting edge technology can integrate into the Cisco product.
Then I said something about poop.