Publications

Research Summary

The Emergence of Charismatic Business Leadership

By: Richard S. Tedlow

Since World War II, a handful of individuals have helped transform the face of modern-day leadership, making charisma essential to the role. In The Emergence of Charismatic Business Leadership, Richard S. Tedlow examines how pioneers like Steve Jobs, Oprah... View Details

20 Feb 2019
Research & Ideas

Rocket-tunity: Can Private Firms Turn a Profit in Space?

space race have been blessed somewhat by the glamour of it all. Investors enthusiastically, maybe too much so, backed a host of startups including those headed by superstar names like Sir Richard Branson,... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Wallask; Aerospace; Tourism; Transportation

June 1994 (Revised December 1997)
Case

Safeway, Inc.'s Leveraged Buyout (A)

After years of deteriorating financial performance and eroding market position, Safeway, Inc., the largest public grocery store chain in the United States, found itself the target of a hostile takeover offer. Management decided to take the company private in a $4.3... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Restructuring; Retail Industry; United States

19 Dec 2023
Research & Ideas

15 Podcast Episodes That Grabbed Listeners in 2023

valuable commodity. Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover: Lessons in Strategic Change In October 2022, Elon Musk officially took Twitter private and became the company’s majority shareholder, finally ending a... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

27 Jan 2023
Op-Ed

Have We Lost Sight of Integrity?

federal indictment. Tesla’s Elon Musk is facing trial for deceptively driving up the price of Tesla stock by falsely claiming to have the “funding secured” to take his company private. Theranos under... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

12 Jul 2020
Book

The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2020

over to technology strategy today. Finally, I look forward to learning more about the ultimate enigma of our time in Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance. What They... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

26 Sep 2024
HBS Case

If a Car Can Drive Itself, Can It Make Life-or-Death Decisions?

John Stuart Mill, philosophers have wrestled with the age-old questions autonomous vehicles are now raising—in new and urgent ways—for businesses and their leaders. “And by genuine ethical decisions, I mean decisions about the rights of... View Details

Keywords: by Tom Quinn; Auto; Technology

05 Jul 2017
What Do You Think?

Can Innovation Save Us From Ourselves?

Summing Up Do We Need to Give More Attention to the Dark Side of Innovation? Innovation may be able to help us deal with problems such as famine, pollution, and even global warming. But unless it can prove to be just as effective in combating destructive human traits... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Technology

22 Feb 2000
Research & Ideas

Social Capital Markets: Creating Value in the Nonprofit World

of the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) in SanFrancisco. Created by George Roberts, one of the founders of the New Yorkinvestment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., REDF has been a pioneer... View Details

Keywords: by Anne Kavanagh

December 2017 (Revised November 2018)
Case

Tesla Motors (A): Financing Growth

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott

The case analyzes the equity market value of Tesla Motors, the electric car company founded and led by Elon Musk. Wall Street analysts are wildly divided on the future growth prospects for this company, and analysts’ one year share price targets range from $160 to... View Details

Keywords: Valuation Methodologies; Investing; Equities; Public Equity; Finance; Valuation; Equity; Auto Industry; Energy Industry; United States

27 Aug 2018
Sharpening Your Skills

Guts, Gall, and Good Luck: What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur

become staples of our modern country and economy: beauty products, national sales forces, and corporate social responsibility. Who Owns Space? Entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are tapping into their vast personal wealth to make... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

01 Feb 2022
Book

Innovation Isn’t Just for Startups: How Big Companies Can Succeed

What if more managers at big corporations channeled some of the same magic that helped Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos lead their startups to great success? Large companies are actually fertile ground for innovation;... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

25 Aug 2017
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: After Charlottesville, Where Does a CEO's Responsibility Lie?

President Trump’s recent pullout from the Paris climate accord drew the ire of many high-visibility CEOs including Richard Branson, Lloyd Blankfein, Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and Jeffrey Immelt. But the president’s statements around... View Details

Keywords: by Gautam Mukunda

November 2016 (Revised May 2017)
Case

Hyperloop One

By: William A. Sahlman, Ramana Nanda, Robert White, Allison Ciechanover and Jeff Huizinga

This case explores the attempt of Shervin Pishevar, a prominent Silicon Valley investor, to shepherd hyperloop, a futuristic pod-in-tube transportation technology, from concept to transformative reality via Hyperloop One and Sherpa Capital, both companies he... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Finance; Startup; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Finance; Transportation; Product Development; Innovation and Invention; Transportation Industry