Publications

November 2024
Case

AlphaGo (A): Birth of a New Intelligence

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai

This case, the first of a three-part series, traces DeepMind's evolution from its 2010 founding through its acquisition by Google in 2014. Often referred to as the "Apollo project" of artificial intelligence, DeepMind used games as a testing ground to develop AI... View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Game Theory; Technology Adoption; South Korea; China; United States

19 Sep 2023
HBS Case

How Will the Tech Titans Behind ChatGPT, Bard, and LLaMA Make Money?

basic economics of a generative AI are being overlooked. There are significant unanswered questions in terms of how people will actually make money with this technology. Google and OpenAI and others can't lose money in perpetuity. But... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Technology; Information Technology

August 2022
Article

The U.S. Approach to Antitrust Policy in Technology Markets

By: Shane Greenstein

This report illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. approach to antitrust policy by drawing lessons from three cases: United States v. AT&T, United States v. Microsoft, and United States v. Google. The cases against AT&T and Microsoft are historical cases,... View Details

Keywords: Antitrust; Lawsuits and Litigation; Information Technology; Competition

Read Now

20 Mar 2009
Working Paper Summaries

Catering to Characteristics

Keywords: by Robin Greenwood & Samuel Hanson; Technology

24 Mar 2008
Working Paper Summaries

Optimal Deterrence when Judgment-Proof Agents Are Paid In Arrears—With an Application to Online Advertising Fraud

Keywords: by Benjamin G. Edelman; Video Game; Web Services

05 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 5, 2008

Working PapersOn Best-Response Bidding in GSP Auctions Authors:Matthew Cary, Aparna Das, Benjamin Edelman, Ioannis Giotis, Kurtis Heimerl, Anna R. Karlin, Claire Mathieu, and Michael Schwarz Abstract How should players bid in keyword auctions such as those used by... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

2017
Working Paper

BATNAs in Negotiation: Common Errors and Three Kinds of 'No'

By: James K. Sebenius

The best alternative to a negotiated agreement (“BATNA”) concept in negotiation has proven to be immensely useful. In tandem with its value in practice, BATNA has become a wildly successful acronym (with more than 14 million Google results). But the initial... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; BATNA; Bargaining; Zone Of Possible Agreement; Reservation Price; Reservation Value; Agreements and Arrangements; Negotiation Tactics

SSRN

Read Now

March 2011 (Revised December 2012)
Case

Demand Media

By: John Deighton and Leora Kornfeld

Google search had helped Demand Media grow to be a $1.9 billion online publisher. Then, social media and smartphone apps began to change the way people navigated the Internet. How should Demand Media respond? The business ran on a radically new model in which a stable... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Information Publishing; Consumer Behavior; Customization and Personalization; Internet and the Web; Publishing Industry

08 Dec 2015
First Look

December 8, 2015

new urban data sources and illustrate how they can be used to improve the study and function of cities. We first show how Google Street View images can be used to predict income in New York City, suggesting that similar image data can be... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Apr 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, April 2, 2019

strategies in response to Google’s entry threat and actual entry into their markets. We find that, after Google’s entry threat increases, affected developers reduce innovation and raise the prices for the affected apps. Once Google... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

08 Aug 2023
Research & Ideas

Black Employees Not Only Earn Less, But Deal with Bad Bosses and Poor Conditions

different factors. First, there could be a spillover from broader societal inequalities. For example, Black and Hispanic workers are overrepresented in blue collar and service positions. “Companies such as Google and Facebook have pretty... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

10 Jul 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, July 10, 2018

718-519 Voice War: Hey Google vs. Alexa vs. Siri By early 2018, voice-controlled intelligent assistants had become a major new front in the battle between the giants of the technology sector. "Voice War" focuses on Alphabet’s... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

16 Jan 2006
Research & Ideas

What Customers Want from Your Products

psychographic." He founded it to help people sell personal items. Google was designed for the job of finding information, not for a "search demographic." The unit of analysis in the work that led to Procter & Gamble's... View Details

Keywords: by Clayton M. Christensen, Scott Cook & Taddy Hall; Consumer Products

April 2019 (Revised June 2019)
Case

From Globalization to Dual Digital Transformation: CEO Thierry Breton Leading Atos Into 'Digital Shockwaves' (A)

By: Tsedal Neeley, JT Keller and James Barnett

Thierry Breton, chairman and CEO of IT company Atos, faced a pivotal juncture. After spending eight intense years scaling the company globally to over 100,000 employees in 70 countries, he was ready to take the next crucial step. Breton was convinced that rapid digital... View Details

Keywords: Dual Digital Transformation; Transformation; Disruption; Employees; Competency and Skills; Training; Decision Making; Digital Transformation

28 Jun 2016
First Look

June 28, 2016

forthcoming Management Science The First Deal: The Division of Founder Equity in New Ventures By: Hellmann, Thomas F., and Noam Wasserman Abstract—We examine the trade-off between efficiency and equality within the context of entrepreneurial founding teams. Using a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

May 2021
Teaching Note

From Globalization to Dual Digital Transformation: CEO Thierry Breton Leading Atos Into 'Digital Shockwaves'

By: Tsedal Neeley

Teaching Note for HBS Case Nos. 419-027 and 419-046. Thierry Breton, chairman and CEO of IT company Atos, faces a pivotal juncture. After spending eight intense years scaling the company globally to over 100,000 employees in 70 countries, he sees digital shockwaves... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Transformation; Strategy; Disruption; Employees; Competency and Skills; Training; Organizational Culture; Digital Transformation; Information Technology Industry

22 May 2024
HBS Case

Banned or Not, TikTok Is a Force Companies Can’t Afford to Ignore

Beijing-based ByteDance, TikTok blew past Google in 2021 to become the world’s most visited domain. In the United States alone, TikTok boasts more than 150 million users—almost half the country’s population. “It is where the future is,”... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Technology

02 May 2023
What Do You Think?

How Should Artificial Intelligence Be Regulated—if at All?

outside on what is acceptable. After interviewing Google CEO Sundar Pichai for 60 Minutes last month, CBS correspondent Scott Pelley said Pichai “told us society must quickly adapt with regulations for AI in the economy, laws to punish... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Information Technology; Technology

March 2022 (Revised April 2023)
Case

Pittsburgh: A Successful City?

By: Karen Mills, Caroline Elkins, Vikram Gandhi, Gabriella Elanbeck and Zeke Gillman

Pittsburgh, PA, was once the crown jewel of American heavy industry. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the city was an undisputed leader in steel production, boasting some of the largest companies and wealthiest individuals in the world. Its abundance of... View Details

Keywords: Economic And Social Disparities; Economic Development; Local Economic Development; Contextual Intelligence; Contextual Knowledge; Context; City Growth; City Innovation; City Leadership; Pittsburgh; Local Government; Local Stakeholders; Business And Community; Business And Community Relations; Community Engagement; Community Relations; Cross-sector Collaboration; Innovation; Innovation Economy; Innovation Clusters; Innovation Ecosystems; Shared Prosperity; Equality Of Opportunity; Equity; Inclusion; Business And Government; Business ＆ Government Relations; Business And Government Relations; Business And Society; Neighborhoods; Race And Ethnicity; Innovation ＆ Entrepreneurship; Diversity; Ethnicity; Race; Household; Income; Economic Growth; Economic Sectors; Economics; Local Range; Urban Development; Urban Scope; City; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Government and Politics; Government Administration; Growth and Development; History; Leadership; Goals and Objectives; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Society; Civil Society or Community; Culture; Human Needs; Public Opinion; Public Sector; Social Issues; Poverty; Equality and Inequality; Manufacturing Industry; Steel Industry; Education Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Technology Industry; United States; Pittsburgh; Pennsylvania