Newsrooms become like families, but companies in every industry reach a point where they face fundamental, sometimes harsh change in order to preserve their viability. We are at that point.
Robert Rivard • Editor of the San Antonio Express-News, in a memo to employees. The Express-News just laid off 75 people in their newsroom today. Seventy-five. Seventy-five. Seventy-five. Do I need to write it again? Seventy-five. It’s not even the only news-industry layoff today. • source
MS has a change of heart. After being seen as heartless by sending letters like these to former employees, the Windows maker has changed its mind about asking for that severance money back. In case you’re wondering, MS, nobody will complain if you decide to take back Vista. Or Songsmith.source
Netbooks are popular Sure, lots of people could use the horsepower of a speedy laptop or a top-tier desktop computer (MacBook for lyfe), but many are choosing to go with cheap Netbooks instead. These computers are small, inexpensive, sometimes as low as $200, and often use open-source software such as Ubuntu. They can’t handle much more than surfing the Web and hitting up YouTube, but for many, that’s all they need. source
Netbooks are popular Sure, lots of people could use the horsepower of a speedy laptop or a top-tier desktop computer (MacBook for lyfe), but many are choosing to go with cheap Netbooks instead. These computers are small, inexpensive, sometimes as low as $200, and often use open-source software such as Ubuntu. They can’t handle much more than surfing the Web and hitting up YouTube, but for many, that’s all they need.
It’s happened before Back in the 1990s, the players atop the tech heap included America Online and Sun Microsystems, both relegated to footnotes in today’s market. With netbooks and other disruptive technologies, the cycle could repeat itself: Current big players like Microsoft just announced huge layoffs, and CEO Steve Ballmer noted this fear when announcing the layoffs. “Our model is not for a quick rebound,” he said. source
Netbooks are popular Sure, lots of people could use the horsepower of a speedy laptop or a top-tier desktop computer (MacBook for lyfe), but many are choosing to go with cheap Netbooks instead. These computers are small, inexpensive, sometimes as low as $200, and often use open-source software such as Ubuntu. They can’t handle much more than surfing the Web and hitting up YouTube, but for many, that’s all they need.
It’s happened before Back in the 1990s, the players atop the tech heap included America Online and Sun Microsystems, both relegated to footnotes in today’s market. With netbooks and other disruptive technologies, the cycle could repeat itself: Current big players like Microsoft just announced huge layoffs, and CEO Steve Ballmer noted this fear when announcing the layoffs. “Our model is not for a quick rebound,” he said.
“Creative destruction” Joseph Schumpeter, an Austrian economist from the early 20th century, seems to have nailed the current workings of Silicon Valley with his writings on business cycles. Basically, companies rise to the top of the heap, only to be taken down by other companies with smarter, more svelte ideas. The rise and fall of companies leads to more innovation. And a pretty cool to term describe it. source