Publications

November 2017
Case

iRobot: Moving Beyond the Roomba

By: Rajiv Lal and Scott Johnson

The makers of the Roomba, a robotic vacuum cleaner, connected the latest version of their product to the Internet. This new feature opened up a wealth of new opportunities and challenges for the company. View Details

Keywords: Irobot; Smart Home; Connected Home; Roomba; Vacuum; Mapping; Internet Of Things; Connected Products; Organizational Structure; Organizational Design; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; United States

November 2019 (Revised February 2022)
Teaching Note

Innovation at Uber: The Launch of Express POOL

By: Chiara Farronato and Sarah Mehta

Teaching Note for HBS No. 619-003. Set in March 2018, the Case follows ride-sharing company Uber as it develops and launches a new product called Express POOL. The Teaching Note offers guidance for instructors who wish to use the case either with or without its dataset... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Decision Making; Technology Industry; California; San Francisco

Web

Understanding Entrepreneurial Opportunity in Kazakhstan - Global Activities 2020

where to do so, a nitty-gritty view of the process outsiders aren’t always privy to. Lomtadze and the students debated if Kaspi.kz was still a bank, with the majority deciding—as Lomtadze did—that the company was now a View Details

26 Aug 2024
Research & Ideas

Can AI Match Human Ingenuity in Creative Problem-Solving?

When ChatGPT and other large language models began entering the mainstream two years ago, it quickly became apparent the technology could excel at certain business functions, yet it was less clear how well artificial intelligence could handle more creative tasks. Sure,... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Information Technology; Information; Technology

October 2017 (Revised April 2024)
Case

Snap Inc. Goes Public (A)

By: Lynn Sharp Paine and Will Hurwitz

Snap Inc.’s chairman must decide how to address investor concerns about the company’s unprecedented plans to issue only non-voting shares in its upcoming IPO. The case is set in early 2017 following the public availability of Snap’s IPO filing with the U.S. Securities... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Capital Structure; Corporate Accountability; Governing and Advisory Boards; Corporate Governance; Going Public; Business and Shareholder Relations; Leadership; Management; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Venture Capital; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; United States; California

16 Jan 2014
Research & Ideas

Resolving Patent Disputes that Impede Innovation

says. In December, for example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) issued an amicus brief related to a case in which telecom equipment giant Ericsson sued Dell and six other... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Technology; Technology

25 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

How Software Platforms Revolutionize Business

a 50,000-foot level, what impact have software platforms had on traditional industries over the last thirty years? Andrei Hagiu: At its most fundamental level, they have fueled innovation and improved productivity. Software platforms have... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Video Game; Web Services

31 May 2017
What Do You Think?

Can Amazon Do What Walmart Couldn’t, Stop the 'Wheel of Retailing'?

and mortar big box stores instead. Amazon, unburdened by such real estate, was easily able to mobilize Internet capabilities in order to capture a dominant share of a notoriously inefficient book retailing... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Retail

13 Aug 2024
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Shouldn't Delay Software Updates—Even After CrowdStrike's Flaw

Vulnerabilities don’t work on a calendar. Cybercriminals show up when they show up.” You Might Also Like: How Transparency Sped Innovation in a $13 Billion Wireless Sector The Critical Computer Science Principles Every Strategic Leader... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Technology; Technology; Technology; Technology

December 2018
Case

Choosy

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Julia Kelley

Founded in 2017, Choosy is a data-driven fashion startup that uses algorithms to identify styles trending on social media. After manufacturing similar items using a China-based supply chain, Choosy sells them to consumers through its website and social media pages.... View Details

November 2016 (Revised December 2016)
Case

Anthology: Pivoting the Business Model

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Christopher Payton

In July 2014, after 18 months and eight unsuccessful product launches, the CEO of Yabbly has agreed to sell his company to a larger, well-funded startup, providing a return of capital for his investors and a home for his team. Two weeks prior to the scheduled closing,... View Details

Keywords: Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Business Model; Business Plan; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Innovation Strategy; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Internet and the Web; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Exit or Shutdown; Fairness; Valuation; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; North America; United States; Seattle

Keywords: Information Technology; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Design; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Organizational Culture; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Performance Productivity; Problems and Challenges; Management Practices and Processes; Business Divisions; Information Management; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; United States

14 Feb 2005
Research & Ideas

The World in Your Palm?

browsing, address and date book, and wireless e-mail. Oh, and you can also make phone calls on them. And video... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

03 Mar 2014
Research & Ideas

Facebook’s Future

people use various online social platforms, makes some predictions. In the first decade of its existence, Facebook, aided by the broad adoption of mobile devices and fast internet connections, emerged as a... View Details

Keywords: by Mikolaj Piskorski

February 1991 (Revised February 1992)
Case

Appex Corp.

By: Nitin Nohria

1990 Business Week named Appex Corp. the fastest growing high-technology company in the United States. Appex provided management information systems and intercarrier network services to cellular telephone companies. During its rapid growth, the company went through... View Details

Keywords: Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises

01 Apr 2001
News

HBS Press Books in Brief

wireless technology. Cairncross argues that the story today is not only the diminishing importance of distance but also the mobility and ubiquity of technology. To order HBS... View Details

September 2004
Case

Valhalla Partners Due Diligence

By: William A. Sahlman and Dan Heath

The Valhalla Partners venture capitial firm introduced a new approach to the due-diligence process. An internal due-diligence report analyzes Telco Exchange, a startup company in the IT software space. An extended excerpt examines the trade-offs involved in the new... View Details

Keywords: Communication Technology; Risk Management; Venture Capital; Business Plan; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Investment; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Corporate Finance; Financial Services Industry; Telecommunications Industry