Number of words: 581 The neo-Darwinian synthesis, as opposed to Darwin’s own version of his theory, is centred on the gene as the unit of natural selection. Genes are discrete entities that can be counted in a population, more or less ignoring the fact that they are in fact sitting in the cells of organisms. … Read more
Number of words: 1,409 Sandboxes are the hot trend in financial regulation. Or rather, deregulation. China, Singapore, Australia, Canada, and more than 20 other countries have them. U.S. regulatory agencies are starting them. Arizona has one, and other states may follow suit. Sandbox programs are supposed to be a kind of safe space to allow … Read more
Number of words: 203 Yahoo began as a list of other sites that Jerry and David had bookmarked using Marc Andreessen’s recently launched Mosaic browser. Known initially as Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web, then Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web, the list consisted at first of a hundred sites categorized … Read more
Number of words: 59 Keeping order amid Taobao’s virtual alleyways are Alibaba’s client service managers, the xiaoer. Thousands of xiaoer mediate any disputes that arise between customers and merchants. These referees, young employees averaging twenty-seven years old, work long hours, often sending messages to vendors late at night. Excerpted from page 6 of ‘Alibaba: The … Read more
Number of words: 106 Unlike Amazon, Alibaba’s consumer websites Taobao and Tmall carry no inventory. They serve as platforms for other merchants to sell their wares. Taobao consists of nine million storefronts run by small traders or individuals. Attracted by the site’s huge user base, these “micro merchants” choose to set up their stalls on … Read more
Number of words: 597 A complaint was received by the Pontiac Division of General Motors: ‘This is the second time I have written to you, and I don’t blame you for not answering me, because I sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of Ice-Cream for dessert … Read more
Number of words: 189 The ambiguity between social and financial goals doesn’t help. But the ambiguity in the word “social” is even more of a problem: if something is “socially good,” is it good for society, or merely seen as good by society? Whatever is good enough to receive applause from all audiences can only … Read more
Number of words: 187 Energy problems are engineering problems, so you would expect to find nerds running cleantech companies. You’d be wrong: the ones that failed were run by shockingly nontechnical teams. These salesman-executives were good at raising capital and securing government subsidies, but they were less good at building products that customers wanted to … Read more
Number of words: 158 A product is viral if its core functionality encourages users to invite their friends to become users too. This is how Facebook and PayPal both grew quickly: every time someone shares with a friend or makes a payment, they naturally invite more and more people into the network. This isn’t just … Read more
Number of words: 187 In between personal sales (salespeople obviously required) and traditional advertising (no salespeople required) there is a dead zone. Suppose you create a software service that helps convenience store owners track their inventory and manage ordering. For a product priced around $1,000, there might be no good distribution channel to reach the … Read more
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