Publications

June 2018 (Revised August 2019)
Case

This case is set in mid-2019, when Qualcomm was struggling with unwanted take-over battles, fights with Apple and the Chinese government, and internal dissension on the board of directors. Ten years earlier Qualcomm was hailed as a monopoly on CDMA technologies and... View Details

Keywords: Technology Cycles; Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Intellectual Property; Information Technology; Standards; Business Model; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Telecommunications Industry; Semiconductor Industry

June 2018 (Revised January 2020)
Case

Voice War: Hey Google vs. Alexa vs. Siri

By: David B. Yoffie, Liang Wu, Jodie Sweitzer, Denzil Eden and Karan Ahuja

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 strategy for Google Assistant, its entrant in the voice assistant space, and asks how the... View Details

Keywords: Alphabet; Amazon; Apple; Strategy; Technology; Intelligent Assistants; Smart Speaker; Voice Assistants; Voice; Platform; Technology Adoption; Digital Platforms; Competitive Strategy; Product Positioning; Technology Industry

May 2018 (Revised December 2019)
Case

Apple Inc. in 2018

By: David B. Yoffie and Eric Baldwin

Many observers worried about what would happen to Apple when Steve Jobs died in 2011. But Apple had performed above everyone's expectations in Cook's six years as CEO. Apple's core business—the iPhone—continued to deliver spectacular results. In addition, Cook was... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Information Technology; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Technological Innovation; Competitive Advantage; Computer Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Technology Industry

April 2018
Supplement

$19B 4 txt app WhatsApp...omg! (B)

By: David B. Yoffie and Aakash Mehta

This case provides a brief update on Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp. View Details

Keywords: Technology; Strategy; Network Effects; Technology Industry

October 2017 (Revised August 2018)
Case

HTC and Virtual Reality

By: David B. Yoffie, Andy Wu and Allison M. Ciechanover

In fall 2017, HTC CEO and Chairperson Cher Wang was driving the company to focus on virtual reality (VR). HTC's first VR product, VIVE, released in spring 2016, was applauded for its superior immersive room-scale capabilities. However, early adoption of VR beyond... View Details

Keywords: Virtual Reality; Strategy; Competition; Information Technology; Innovation and Management; Consumer Behavior; Customer Relationship Management; Technology Industry

2019
Chapter

Network Effects

By: Andrei Hagiu and David B. Yoffie

Network effects are a key economic and strategic phenomenon in 'new economy' industries. They can, but do not necessarily, lead to market tipping, unless they outweigh customers' benefits from differentiation and are accompanied by high switching and multi-homing... View Details

Keywords: Network Effects

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May 2017
Teaching Note

Elon Musk's Big Bets

By: David B. Yoffie and Eric Baldwin

This teaching note is designed for the Elon Musk's Big Bets case (#717-431). View Details

Keywords: Strategy

May 2017 (Revised October 2017)
Teaching Note

eBay vs. Carl Icahn, 2014, and A Note on Activist Investors and the Tech Sector

By: David B. Yoffie and Eric Baldwin

Teaching note to accompany eBay vs. Carl Icahn, 2014, HBS Case #717-417; eBay vs. Carl Icahn, 2014: Interview with John Donahoe, eBay CEO 2008-2015; A Note on Activist Investors and the Tech Section HBS Case #716-462 View Details

May 2017
Teaching Note

Wal-Mart Update, 2017

This Teaching Note is designed for the case, “Wal-Mart Update, 2017,” HBS No. 717-468. View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Retail Industry

April 2017 (Revised October 2017)
Case

Wal-Mart Update, 2017

By: David B. Yoffie and Eric Baldwin

In 2017 Wal-Mart was still the world’s largest company, with over $480 billion in annual revenue and operations in 28 countries. Although it had mostly vanquished its rival discount retailers in the U.S., it was struggling to find the right growth strategy. Facing a... View Details

Keywords: E-Commerce Strategy; Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Business Growth and Maturation; Growth and Development Strategy; Global Range; Business Strategy; Corporate Strategy; E-commerce; Retail Industry

March 2017
Supplement

Mobileye: The Future of Driverless Cars

This video is a supplement to the Mobileye case. The co-founder, Chairman, and CTO, Amnon Shashua, discussed how Mobileye tries to create a sustainable advantage; how it prices its products; whether it should collaborate or not with Google; and how much of its... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Competitive Positioning; Driverless Car; Competitive Strategy; Alliances; Competitive Advantage; Auto Industry; Israel

March 2017
Supplement

Donna Dubinsky, Numenta and Artificial Intelligence

Donna Dubinsky, CEO of Numenta, discusses her views of the future of artificial intelligence and the strategic challenges of building a new platform. View Details

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Strategy; Technological Change; AI and Machine Learning; Technology Industry

Article

Extrapolating from Moore's Law

By: Michael A. Cusumano and David B. Yoffie

Keywords: Strategy; Technology

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Article

Mastering Strategy

By: David B. Yoffie and Michael A. Cusumano

Keywords: Strategy

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August 2016 (Revised May 2017)
Case

eBay vs. Carl Icahn, 2014

By: David B. Yoffie and Eric Baldwin

This case explores Carl Icahn's attack on eBay, starting in January 2014. The case examines how John Donahoe, CEO of eBay, should respond to Icahn's demand that eBay spin off PayPal and accept Icahn's two nominees to the board of directors. View Details

Keywords: Activist Shareholder; Activist Investors; Technology; Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Investment Activism; Financial Services Industry; Retail Industry

June 2016
Teaching Note

Apple's Future: Apple Watch, Apple TV, and/or Apple Car?

Teaching note for “Apple's Future,” HBS no. 716-401. View Details

Keywords: Strategy

June 2016 (Revised May 2017)
Case

A Note on Activist Investors and the Tech Sector

By: David B. Yoffie and Eric Baldwin

This short note provides background and data on the growing role of corporate activists, especially in high-technology industries. View Details

Keywords: Governance; Activist Investors; Strategy; Investment Activism; Financial Services Industry; Technology Industry

June 2016 (Revised May 2017)
Case

Searching for a New CEO: TiVo 2016

In 2015, TiVo initiated a search for a new CEO. This case provides a profile of the CEO search and background on the company. View Details

Keywords: Technological Change; Succession Planning; Information Technology; Strategy; Strategic Planning; Management Succession; Forecasting and Prediction; Change; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry

March 2016 (Revised October 2017)
Case

Salesforce.com vs. Siebel (Abridged)

Explores the phenomenon of software becoming a service. Salesforce.com has catapulted into the lead for offering a customer relationship management (CRM) solution as a Web-based service. Siebel, the leader in CRM packaged software sales, has to devise a strategy to... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Competitive Strategy; Software