I was in Back Bay yesterday. Coincidentally, I was there during the precise moment that the jury was giving its verdict in the Marathon Bombing trial. As I drove around, and then walked around, I was struck by how ordinary everything was. There goes a known VC walking by, speaking quickly and loudly into a
Creating an Exodus
It’s Good Friday, and I’ve lost my voice. So, it’s a pretty introspective day for me. I’ve been thinking a great deal about power and how to make change. And, Passover. Let me explain. A few days ago, Curt Woodward of The Boston Globe called me regarding the Ellen Pao discrimination lawsuit (article here). I
What Is the ‘Business of Your Business’?
I often meet with entrepreneurs with some great product ideas. In fact, I just finished speaking with a NYC start-up with a really cool idea. Great founder. I asked him about his potential product’s use cases. I think such hypotheses really drive strategy and go-to-market. One product can have multiple use cases, each of which can pull
‘Ignore the Noise’
The Ellen Pao-KPCB trial has been surreal to observe. I don’t know well the players involved but have interacted with them. John Doerr had recruited me for Amazon.com. Two of my previous investments have KPCB as investors. Ellen, who knew the Bit9 CEO, helped the company navigate the KPCB process. The firm led Bit9’s Series
The New Cabela’s Store
Amidst a gentle Saturday snowfall, I decided to go shopping. A new Cabela’s store just opened about a 30 min. drive away. I’ve been a mail order customer for some time. They have good and cheap fishing equipment. The store was mobbed. Surprisingly, they had a decent fly fishing section. I picked up a few
And, the $1 Million Turing Award Goes to….
I just got off the phone with Mike Stonebraker. It was a very special and somewhat emotional conversation. You see, it was just announced that Mike has won the $1 Million Turing Award. It is the “Nobel Peace Prize of Computing.” Every year, for about ten years, Mike has been nominated for the prize and