Some interesting stimulus ahead of Wavelength USA 2016!
Wavelength USA is one of our two annual study tours. Wavelength USA gives our participants unique opportunities to get inside some of America’s most pioneering and successful businesses and into the heart of the digital revolution in Silicon Valley.
Here we have gathered links to content relevant to Wavelength USA. Some are specific to the companies we are visiting, other stuff is more general analysis and commentary about the Valley and innovation. We don’t agree with everything collated here but we hope there is plenty to whet your appetite and give you some meaningful context and provocation for our adventures on Wavelength USA. Enjoy!
Southwest Airlines
“And that’s a powerful lesson for any company: price matters, no doubt. But so do people, first and foremost.” This article talks about how Southwest hires such dedicated people and provides great background reading on their business model.
Here is a short video showing the efficiency and dedication of SWA’s ground staff during ‘The Turn’. This process keeps more flights in the air, making the airline more money.
Parc
On Wednesday morning during our visit to Parc, you will meet Karen White, Tech Executive, Investor & Board Member. In this interview she talks how, making a transition from the East Coast, she got into the tech scene and stories of her time in Silicon Valley showing how serendipity plays a major part in the ecosystem.
Lisa Gansky will be talking to us about ‘The Sharing Economy’. This article casts a sceptical eye on the dream of Ubering everything in our lives.
Twitter a failure? This article talks about the perversion of the digital economy where the sad reality is that businesses need to innovate more than ever.
Silicon Valley
Who owns the future? In an era when politics is bereft of grand visions, bioengineers and Silicon Valley tech geeks are claiming the mantle of leadership and prophecy. But what do they want and where are they leading us? Read more here. In a world dominated by Apple & Google, this company wants to forge a third way.
This is a great Harvard Business Review article on the industries that are being the most disrupted by digital. Download this PDF report on the Upside of Disruption – a very informative read.
Apple
What are Apple up to? According to Mark Gurman, 2017 is going to be a massive year for the company. Not only are they building a $5 billion Apple 2 Campus, but they have a number of new products to launch. Read more here.
IDEO
CEO Tim Brown – who we will meet in Palo Alto – on moving from ‘design’ to ‘design thinking’ and, in this excellent TED Talk, urging designers to think much bigger and deal with problems which really matter. He references Aravind in India and one of our USA participants, Dr Aravind Srinivasan, is from this amazing social business in India so make sure you find out more from him during our week together.
Andreessen Horowitz We are spending our last day of Wavelength USA at the Menlo Park HQ, at this hottest of venture capitalist firms. Here is a short video interview with the two founders on why they set up the business and why they are different. “We’re not funding Mother Teresa”, says Mark Andreessen in this fascinating New Yorker profile. “We’re funding imperial, will-to-power people who want to crush their competition. Companies can only have a big impact on the world if they get big.”
And, finally, a fierce counterblast by Andrew Keen against what he sees as the male, tech, monopolising, winner takes all, optimism of the Valley. Keen – who has been dubbed the Silicon Valley Anti-Christ – in his book ‘The Internet Is Not The Answer’ argues that the Valley destroys jobs, exacerbates inequality and undermines privacy through its ‘fetishization of disruption’ .Here he is talking about all that.
Safe travels and see you soon. Adrian & Darren
P.S. One last thing, here is a fascinating Ted Talk on how to listen better.
Want to know more about our USA study tours? Click here to find out more about where we are going in 2016 and how to join us.