Publications

September 2004 (Revised June 2005)
Case

QUALCOMM, Inc. 2004

By: David B. Yoffie, Pai-Ling Yin and Elizabeth Kind

QUALCOMM, Inc. had transitioned from a fledgling startup into a Fortune 500 wireless technology leader. Its CDMA technology was considered the preeminent technology and was the world's fastest growing wireless communications technology. CEO Irwin Jacobs had a number of... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Government and Politics; Leadership Style; Resource Allocation; Product Positioning; Problems and Challenges; Information Technology; Mobile and Wireless Technology; China; India

September 2004 (Revised June 2005)
Case

Wintel (F): From Multi-Geographic Contact to Open Source

By: David B. Yoffie

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry

September 2004
Journal Article

Judotaktika

By: David B. Yoffie and Mary Kwak

August 2004 (Revised April 2007)
Case

Intel Capital, 2005 (A)

By: David B. Yoffie, Barbara Mack, Adriana Boden and Lee Rand

All companies in a technology-intensive industry must worry about the development of their ecosystems and, in particular, the availability and cost of complementary assets. One strategy for promoting complements is to invest in them directly. Explores Intel's strategy... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Venture Capital; Competition; Corporate Strategy; Investment; Assets; Corporate Finance; Semiconductor Industry; Computer Industry; Technology Industry; United States

June 2004 (Revised November 2005)
Case

PalmSource, Inc.

By: David B. Yoffie, Pai-Ling Yin and Christina L. Darwall

PalmSource CEO David Nagel had grand ambitions. In this newly spun-off company, he wanted to create the next leading software platform for hand-held devices. Explores the strategic challenges of building a platform business. View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Applications and Software; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Information Technology Industry

June 2004 (Revised November 2004)
Case

Microsoft in 2004

By: Michael G. Rukstad, David B. Yoffie, Brian DeLacey and Deborah Freier

Surveys Microsoft's expansion into new businesses, such as mobile and embedded devices, home and entertainment, and business solutions, as it faces challenges due to size and maturity and outside threats from Linux and Google. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Applications and Software; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Information Technology Industry; Washington (state, US)

June 2004
Teaching Note

Strategic Inflection: TiVo in 2003 (A & B) TN

By: Pai-Ling Yin and David B. Yoffie

Teaching Note to (9-704-425) and (9-704-429). View Details

Keywords: Entertainment and Recreation Industry

June 2004 (Revised January 2005)
Case

Rambus Inc., 2004

By: David B. Yoffie and Deborah Freier

Examines the role of technology licensing in strategies for high-technology companies. In the 1990s, Rambus developed a revolutionary memory technology that would improve the ability of DRAMs to keep pace with ever-faster microprocessors. To commercialize the... View Details

Keywords: Innovation Strategy; Lawsuits and Litigation; Strategic Planning; Relationships; Commercialization; Competition; Technology Adoption; Value; Semiconductor Industry

May 2004
Background Note

56K Modem Battle

By: David B. Yoffie and Deborah Freier

Examines the battle to set the standard for the 56K modem. Set in 1996, this case looks at how computers accessed the Internet via a telephone line, or dial-up connection, and a hardware modem. In 1995, there were 18.6 million total modem unit shipments, with market... View Details

Keywords: Announcements; Revenue; Patents; Product Launch; Network Effects; Standards; Competition; Information Infrastructure; Internet and the Web; Technology Industry; Illinois

May 2004 (Revised March 2005)
Case

Instant Messaging

By: David B. Yoffie and Deborah Freier

Explores the usage and technology of instant messaging (IM). IM enables two or more users to communicate almost instantaneously over the Internet with short, private text messages. Most IM service providers chose to remain proprietary and, therefore, a user of most IM... View Details

Keywords: Network Effects; Standards; Communication Technology; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Internet and the Web; Web Services Industry

May 2004 (Revised April 2005)
Background Note

Intellectual Property and Strategy

By: David B. Yoffie and Deborah Freier

Explores the role of intellectual property in firms' strategies. Explains the legal and strategic differences between patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets and explores the multiple ways firms use these different legal protections to gain competitive... View Details

Keywords: Copyright; Patents; Trademarks; Competitive Advantage; Value

May 2004 (Revised March 2005)
Case

Music Downloads

By: David B. Yoffie and Deborah Freier

Examines the competition between competing music formats. In the '90s, the MP3 format challenged the traditional means of music distribution by allowing for storage of near CD-quality recordings at 1/10th of their previous size. The threat to traditional distribution... View Details

Keywords: Disruption; Music Entertainment; Legal Liability; Distribution; Competition; Internet and the Web; Technology Adoption; Information Infrastructure; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Music Industry

January 2004
Case

Nokia and MIT's Project Oxygen (Abridged)

By: David B. Yoffie and Rebecca Henderson

Looks at how Nokia should respond to a future vision of computing and communications that was developed at MIT's Project Oxygen. View Details

Keywords: Mobile and Wireless Technology; Adaptation; Strategic Planning; Telecommunications Industry; Technology Industry

January 2004 (Revised March 2010)
Teaching Note

Intel Corporation: 1968-2003; Intel Corporation: 2005 (TN)

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, David B. Yoffie and Sasha Mattu

Teaching Note to (9-703-427). View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry

October 2003
Supplement

Strategic Inflection: TiVo in 2003 (B)

By: Christina Darwall, Pai-Ling Yin and David B. Yoffie

Spreadsheet for use with case (9-704-429). Download Only. (Examines the possibility of TIVo being a content distributor). View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Distribution Channels; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

October 2003 (Revised December 2003)
Case

Strategic Inflection: TiVo in 2003 (B)

By: David B. Yoffie, Pai-Ling Yin and Christina L. Darwall

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Entertainment and Recreation Industry

October 2003 (Revised February 2004)
Case

Strategic Inflection: TiVo in 2003 (A)

By: David B. Yoffie, Pai-Ling Yin and Christina L. Darwall

Mike Ramsey, TiVo's CEO, must decide on which direction to build the company. Facing an onslaught of new competitors, a huge opportunity in the cable industry, and the possibility of becoming the new "user interface" for TV entertainment, Ramsey must balance the... View Details

Keywords: Television Entertainment; Profit; Product Positioning; Standards; Opportunities; Commercialization; Competition; Technology Adoption; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

August 2003 (Revised March 2004)
Case

Wintel (A): Cooperation or Conflict

By: David B. Yoffie, Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Sasha Mattu

Examines the dynamic relationship between two complementors: Intel and Microsoft. Set in 1995, the case asks how Intel and Microsoft should solve a serious division between the two companies that threatens the health of the PC industry. View Details

Keywords: Conflict Management; Competition; Cooperation; Information Technology Industry; Computer Industry; Semiconductor Industry