Publications

October 2021
Case

(180) Days of Quibi

By: David J. Collis and Terrence Shu

Mobile streaming app Quibi was ready to take the entertainment world by storm at its April 2020 launch. Backed by $1.75 billion, influential investors from Hollywood to Wall Street eagerly anticipated early success for this brainchild of Meg Whitman, former CEO of... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Strategy; Business Model; Business Startups; Mobile Technology

Web

Asia Pacific - Global

Challenges and Business Reinvention By: Paul A. Gompers and Shu Lin Founded in 2012, Mobvoi evolved through multiple transformations—from AI-driven voice technology to smart wearables and later AI-generated content. Backed View Details

January 2022 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Geely SEA: New Electric Vehicle Platforms

By: Willy C. Shih and Shu Lin

Kent Bovellan, the Chief Engineer and Head of the Vehicle Architecture Center for Geely Holding, the Hangzhou, China headquartered global automotive group, was debating the platform choice for an upcoming "D" segment midsized battery electric vehicle (BEV). He had led... View Details

Keywords: Product Innovation; Product Architecture; Product Engineering; Platform Design; Platform Strategy; Information Infrastructure; Digital Platforms; Information Technology; Product Design; Product Development; Cost Management; Decision Making; Competitive Strategy; Industry Structures; Auto Industry; China; Sweden

Web

Entrepreneurial Management - Faculty & Research

Challenges and Business Reinvention By: Paul A. Gompers and Shu Lin Founded in 2012, Mobvoi evolved through multiple transformations—from AI-driven voice technology to smart wearables and later AI-generated content. Backed View Details

September 2020
Case

Blackstone: Crocs Investment

By: Victoria Ivashina, John D. Dionne and Terrence Shu

This case follows Prakash Melwani (HBS MBA '86), CIO of Blackstone's Private Equity Group, and his teams’ investment in the footwear company Crocs. Instead of a traditional secondary offering, Crocs opted for a unique deal structure by taking Blackstone's cash in a... View Details

Keywords: Private Investment In Public Equity; PIPE Deal; Investment; Brands and Branding; Strategy

Article

Asset Accumulation and Labor Force Participation of Disability Insurance Applicants

By: Pian Shu

This paper provides empirical evidence of the existence of forward-looking asset-accumulation behavior among disability-insurance applicants, previously examined only in the theoretical literature. Using panel data from the RAND Health and Retirement Study, I show that... View Details

Keywords: Disability Insurance; Asset Accumulation; Labor Force Participation; Assets; Behavior; Employment; Insurance; Insurance Industry; United States

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Article

Competition and Social Identity in the Workplace: Evidence from a Chinese Textile Firm

By: Takao Kato and Pian Shu

We study the impact of social identity on worker competition by exploiting the well-documented social divide between urban resident workers and rural migrant workers in urban Chinese firms. We analyze data on weekly output, individual characteristics, and coworker... View Details

Keywords: Social Identity; Coworker Effect; Productivity; Relative Performance Incentive; Intergroup Competition; Competition; Groups and Teams; Performance Productivity; Identity

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Web

Research - Global

March 2025 Case Mobvoi’s Path Through Market Challenges and Business Reinvention By: Paul A. Gompers and Shu Lin Founded in 2012, Mobvoi evolved through multiple transformations—from AI-driven voice technology to smart wearables and later... View Details

Web

Faculty & Research - Entrepreneurship

Challenges and Business Reinvention By: Paul A. Gompers and Shu Lin Founded in 2012, Mobvoi evolved through multiple transformations—from AI-driven voice technology to smart wearables and later AI-generated content. Backed View Details

Web

Entrepreneurship - Faculty & Research

Market Challenges and Business Reinvention By: Paul A. Gompers and Shu Lin March 2025 | Case | Faculty Research Founded in 2012, Mobvoi evolved through multiple transformations—from AI-driven voice technology to smart wearables and later... View Details

Web

Profiles - MBA

Profiles Profiles Technology Innovation Fellows Program Supported by the Roberts Family Foundation Current Students APPLIED MATHEMATICS ELIOT 2025 Cohort 7 Rhea Acharya “Living through this unprecedented period of technological growth has... View Details

2016
Working Paper

Innovating in Science and Engineering or 'Cashing In' on Wall Street? Evidence on Elite STEM Talent

By: Pian Shu

Using data on MIT bachelor's graduates from 1994 to 2012, this paper empirically examines the extent to which the inflow of elite talent into the financial industry affects the supply of innovators in science and engineering (S&E). I first show that finance does not... View Details

Keywords: Higher Education; Engineering; Personal Development and Career; Science; Finance

SSRN

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Web

Site Credits | Baker Library | Bloomberg Center | Harvard Business School

Heather Oswald CATALOG DESIGN Eleanor Bradshaw, EB Fine Design EXHIBITION DESIGN Chris Danemayer, proun Design EXHIBITION FABRICATION WB Incorporated WEBSITE DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT/PRODUCTION Aaron Carmisciano, Subluxed David Register, Shady Hill Studios Erin Wise Jerry... View Details

2016
Working Paper

Are 'Better' Ideas More Likely to Succeed? An Empirical Analysis of Startup Evaluation

By: Erin L. Scott, Pian Shu and Roman M. Lubynsky

This paper studies the uncertainty associated with screening early stage ventures. Using data on 652 ventures in high-growth industries, we examine whether experienced entrepreneurs, executives, and investors can predict the outcomes of early stage ventures by reading... View Details

Keywords: Commercialization; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups

SSRN

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30 Aug 2016
First Look

August 30, 2016

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51552 forthcoming Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization Competition and Social Identity in the Workplace: Evidence from a Chinese Textile Firm By: Kato, Takao, and Pian View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

March 2025
Case

Mobvoi’s Path Through Market Challenges and Business Reinvention

By: Paul A. Gompers and Shu Lin

Founded in 2012, Mobvoi evolved through multiple transformations—from AI-driven voice technology to smart wearables and later AI-generated content. Backed by major investors, the company navigated shifts in strategy while facing two failed IPO attempts. As market... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; AI and Machine Learning; Technology Industry; China

2012
Other Unpublished Work

The Long-Term Impact of Business Cycles on Innovation: Evidence from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

By: Pian Shu

April 2020
Supplement

Oaktree: Pierre Foods Investment

By: Victoria Ivashina and Terrence Shu

This case is a setting to discuss “loan to own” investment strategy that is often pursued by distressed investors. The aftermath of the 2007 financial crisis left many companies with poor liquidity and limited ability to obtain credit. One of these companies was Pierre... View Details

Keywords: Distress Investing; Investment; Debt Securities; Strategy; Restructuring

April 2020
Teaching Note

Oaktree: Pierre Foods Investment

By: Victoria Ivashina, Michael Harmon and Terrence Shu

Teaching Note for HBS No. 219-018. This case is a setting to discuss “loan to own” investment strategy that is often pursued by distressed investors. The aftermath of the 2007 financial crisis left many companies with poor liquidity and limited ability to obtain... View Details

Keywords: Distress Investing; Investment; Debt Securities; Strategy; Restructuring