Publications

25 May 2021
Research & Ideas

White Airbnb Hosts Earn More. Can AI Shrink the Racial Gap?

services to e-commerce platforms like eBay and Uber. “If other companies invest in building similar race-blind algorithms, that may even the playing field for users,” Zhang says. Without AI, white hosts earn more Airbnb has faced... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Technology; Accommodations

09 Dec 2015
Research Event

When Hosts Attack: The Competitive Threat of Online Platforms

In the online marketplace, oodles of retailers and developers rely on “platforms” such as Amazon.com, the Apple App Store, Facebook, and Twitter to get their products and services into the hands of users. Retailers, for example, sell... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Web Services; Web Services; Web Services

08 Mar 2022
Blog Post

Recalling My First Cold Call: A Conversation with Second-Year Students

Entrepreneurship Club, and the Women In Investing Club. After graduation she will be joining Amazon as a senior technical product manager in Amazon Web Services (AWS), where she completed her internship last... View Details

03 Jul 2013
What Do You Think?

What Are the Limits of Transparency?

technology services company, has been one of the most outspoken advocates of increased transparency. He says all HCL's financial information is on the company's internal Web. "We are completely open," he had been quoted as... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

10 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Retailing Revolution: Category Killers on the Brink

migrate to the web for your category of goods (for example ALDI and Dollar General). There is an argument to be made that, for certain combinations of demographic groups and categories, Internet penetration will remain low, and therefore... View Details

Keywords: by Rajiv Lal & Jose B. Alvarez; Retail

05 Sep 2018
Research & Ideas

The Hidden Benefit of Giving Back to Open Source Software

and everybody can use the same types of technology, gaining these kinds of edges and increasing your competitive advantage is pretty important,” Nagle says. Examples of other crowdsourced public goods in the digital world include programming languages like Python and... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Computer

January 2013 (Revised June 2018)
Case

Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google 2018

By: John Deighton and Leora Kornfeld

Four businesses had, by 2012, grown to dominate the infrastructure that all firms rely on to reach online customers. Will the balance of power among the four persist, will one take command at the expense of the other three, or are all four more vulnerable than they... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Competitive Advantage; Infrastructure; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Growth and Development; Service Industry; Service Industry; United States

September 2017 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Dianrong: Marketplace Lending, Blockchain, and 'The New Finance' in China

By: Christopher J. Malloy, Lauren H. Cohen and Anthony K. Woo

This case examines the strategic positioning of Dianrong, one of the largest online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms in China, in its attempt to become a foundational player in the expansion of the FinTech sector in Asia. Dianrong had recently announced the... View Details

Keywords: Financing and Loans; Internet and the Web; Supply Chain; Finance; Innovation and Invention; Competition; Product Positioning; Strategy; Financial Services Industry; China

01 Sep 2023
News

The Exchange: Where Ethics Meet Economics

ended up discriminating against particular groups of guests. That gives us fascinating insights about how something seemingly innocuous like web design has enormous potential to lead users in either a positive or negative direction. For... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services; Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services

Web

Privacy Policy & Legal Info | HBS Online

services (the Websites and the services, “Services”). Our Services include Websites and other applications, programs, and Online or mobile products of HBS Online, including the HBS Online Community. Although... View Details

March 2017 (Revised September 2017)
Case

Facebook Fake News in the Post-Truth World

By: John R. Wells and Carole A. Winkler

In January 2017, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, was surrounded by controversy. The election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States in November 2016 had triggered a national storm of protests, and many attributed Trump’s victory to... View Details

Keywords: Facebook; Fake News; Mark Zuckerberg; Donald Trump; Algorithms; Social Networks; Partisanship; Social Media; App Development; Instagram; WhatsApp; Smartphone; Silicon Valley; Office Space; Digital Strategy; Democracy; Entry Barriers; Online Platforms; Controversy; Tencent; Agility; Social Networking; Gaming; Gaming Industry; Computer Games; Mobile Gaming; Messaging; Monetization Strategy; Advertising; Digital Marketing; Business Ventures; Acquisition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Headquarters; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Trends; Communication; Communication Technology; Forms of Communication; Interactive Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Talent and Talent Management; Crime and Corruption; Voting; Demographics; Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Initial Public Offering; Profit; Revenue; Geography; Geographic Location; Global Range; Local Range; Country; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Globalized Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Government and Politics; International Relations; National Security; Political Elections; Business History; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Information Management; Information Publishing; News; Newspapers; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Knowledge Dissemination; Human Capital; Law; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Crisis Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Practices and Processes; Management Style; Management Systems; Management Teams; Managerial Roles; Marketing Channels; Social Marketing; Network Effects; Market Entry and Exit; Digital Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Monopoly; Media; Product Development; Service Delivery; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; Groups and Teams; Networks; Rank and Position; Opportunities; Behavior; Emotions; Identity; Power and Influence; Prejudice and Bias; Reputation; Social and Collaborative Networks; Status and Position; Trust; Society; Civil Society or Community; Culture; Public Opinion; Social Issues; Societal Protocols; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Customization and Personalization; Diversification; Expansion; Horizontal Integration; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Valuation; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry; United States; California; Sunnyvale; Russia

20 Mar 2000
Research & Ideas

Incubators: The New Venture Capitalists?

get a startup successfully off the ground in the electronic economy. Venture Capital as a Commodity "We definitely see a major shift occurring in the venture capital community," said Corey, who co-founded the Web consulting firm... View Details

Keywords: by Kenneth Liss

Web

Industry Information - Alumni

rig data, equipment marketplace, and more. + – Entertainment Billboardbiz Read the latest music industry news as it relates to everything from the growth of streaming services to the legal and management issues impacting the world of... View Details

Web

John H. McArthur | About

Springs Industries, Inc., Telsat Canada, Bell Canada, and Teradyne Inc. He was a founding board member of the Canada Development Investment Corporation and a member of the Task Force on the Future of the Canadian Financial Services... View Details

November 2023
Case

Copilot(s): Generative AI at Microsoft and GitHub

By: Frank Nagle, Shane Greenstein, Maria P. Roche, Nataliya Langburd Wright and Sarah Mehta

This case tells the story of Microsoft’s 2018 acquisition of GitHub and the subsequent launch of GitHub Copilot, a tool that uses generative artificial intelligence to suggest snippets of code to software developers in real time. Set in late 2021, when Copilot was... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Strategy; AI and Machine Learning; Applications and Software; Product Launch; Web Services Industry; Web Services Industry; Web Services Industry; United States; California

February 2014 (Revised August 2016)
Case

Strava

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III, William A. Sahlman and Sid Misra

Strava is a new fast-growing social network for the avid cyclist and runner. The Strava case traces the entrepreneurial journey of two serial entrepreneurs who have been co-founders in a prior venture, and who have co-founded Strava 3 years ago. The protagonists must... View Details