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2013-05-13 16:57:13 (8 comments, 8 reshares, 50 +1s)

Enjoyed my Q&A with Steven Levy, looking forward to Google IO +Steven Levy +Android +Google Chrome 

2013-05-08 15:00:42 (13 comments, 18 reshares, 94 +1s)

Had the pleasure yesterday at the Wired Business Conference of interviewing +Marissa Mayer who shared her vision for Yahoo and provided great insight into her first nine months there.  If you are at all interested in Yahoo--and also want to see me wearing a tie--check out the video.

http://fora.tv/2013/05/07/Yahoo_CEO_Marissa_Mayer_Remaking_An_Internet_Giant

2013-04-26 22:12:02 (2 comments, 20 reshares, 61 +1s)

Happy to have interviewed +Eric Schmidt  and +Jared Cohen  on their sweeping survey of the tech future in terms of global and personal power.  I ask about whether the whole world will really be connected, what they thought of Julian Assange and why they didn't bring Dennis Rodman with them to North Korea. Seriously, we had kind of an epic conversation about the issues they tackle in "The New Digital Age." 

http://www.wired.com/business/2013/04/eric-schmidt-and-jared-cohen-on-whats-next-for-the-world/

2013-04-25 19:47:59 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 53 +1s)

Wired is 20 years old this month.  I just came across this paragraph in an article I once wrote for Newsweek, marking some anniversary of the browser:

Just about the only place you could get something to eat at 4 in the morning in Champaign, Ill., in early 1993 was a convenience store called the White Hen Pantry. "It's kind of a Midwest 7-Eleven," says Marc Andreessen, who would often stumble out of his workspace at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at ungodly hours in search of sustenance. Andreessen, 21 years old at the time, and fellow NCSA worker Eric Bina were working on a program they called Mosaic. One night at the White Hen, Andreessen scanned the newsstand and saw the first issue of a magazine called Wired. "I thought, 'Wow, this is pretty interesting stuff'," he recalls of the magazine that promised to treat technology as a cultural... more »

2013-04-25 13:49:02 (17 comments, 70 reshares, 157 +1s)

I've been kind of obsessed with the question of how brains generate...us.  Especially in the case of extraordinary people -- what's the biological basis of their amazingness? Halfway through this already mind-stretching conversation with Ray Kurzweill, the AI guru and Singularity sensation, I begin pounding him on this issue.  His answers are surprising.  


http://www.wired.com/business/2013/04/kurzweil-google-ai/

2013-04-22 20:45:27 (3 comments, 12 reshares, 57 +1s)

I've been tracking Nest, led by iPod creator Tony Fadell, since the smart-thermostat company launched in 2011.   Today on Earth Day, they're announcing plans for the second stage of their business: services only possible with an intelligent, connected, sensor-loaded gadget.

Specifically, they are luring their customers into saving money and saving the asses of utility companies by getting people to cut back on energy in the hot Texas heat.


http://www.wired.com/business/2013/04/nest-energy-services/

2013-04-17 15:21:43 (4 comments, 17 reshares, 108 +1s)

I've been interviewing Bill Gates since...well, let's just say a long time.  Some exchanges have been contentious, others less so, but not once have I failed to be blown away by his intelligence and focus.  In recent years, he has been an even better interviewee, as he feels more comfortable to publicly unleash a very sharp -- often hilarious -- sense of humor.  

This relatively short session for Wired's 20th anniversary issue shows what I mean . He makes serious points, but is clearly having a lot of fun.

As for the last question, I always try to toss in one he hasn't heard before.  When I saw he mentioned Catcher in the Rye on his blog -- one of two novels out of maybe fifty books he notes there -- I had to ask the Billster whether he identified with Holden Caufield. Not only was his answer pure gold, but he obviously remembered the book in detail and took tohea... more »

2013-04-05 17:34:06 (23 comments, 8 reshares, 78 +1s)

Lunch today at Google Chicago: Cheeseburger served on Krispy Kreme donut.

I REGRET NOTHING.

2013-04-02 15:20:37 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

The brilliant "father of rock criticism" Paul Williams just passed.  When I was in high school I read the early issues of Crawdaddy and was blown away.   I have them buried somewhere, but found lots of the articles in this e-book, which also has more recent commentary on them from PW himself.

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=tV-9J-I6oYAC

2013-03-30 01:01:36 (17 comments, 12 reshares, 67 +1s)

PBS web series called Off Book wonders whether hackers can be heroes and happily asks people inclined to say, well, duh, yes. Including me. Nice closeup of the eponymous book.

So I wonder:  do all of you share my view that the word "hacker" is being (somewhat) restored to something closer to its original, glorious definition?  And that the mindset of hacking is bleeding into the general gestalt? (Again, in my mind a wonderful development.)

Can Hackers Be Heroes? | Off Book | PBS

2013-03-19 21:21:24 (10 comments, 22 reshares, 61 +1s)

What do you do when you're a young magazine writer and your editor tells you to find Einstein's brain, which has dropped out of sight for 23 years, since the autopsy?   You go out and find it.  Here's my story, and what came of my search.

My Search for Einstein's Brain: Steven Levy at TEDxBeaconStreet

2013-03-12 17:43:42 (17 comments, 2 reshares, 40 +1s)

Sometimes you get a phishing request that's so realistic you have to think twice before deleting.  Other times, as in this supposed notice from Chase Card Services, you have to scratch your head.  Note that this was sent today, March 12, 2013.   The following is verbatim.

"On August 11th, 2013, our secure server receive a multiple online attempt on your account.  We hereby advise your to follow these simple activation process to avoid account termination."

2013-03-08 17:24:50 (12 comments, 12 reshares, 78 +1s)

"Hackers" is finally published in France.   Looks like they doubled down on the theory aspect of it.  (Wait until the French get a hold of Gosper, Greenblatt, Felsenstein, Stallman, Woz, Crunch, and Sierra On-Line.

2013-03-03 19:02:04 (15 comments, 6 reshares, 27 +1s)

Here is the "correction" given to the Sheryl Sandberg story in the NYT.  It deals with the most damaging quote in the story, one that also became the backbone of an attack by Maureen Dowd.  


"An article on Friday about efforts by Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, to start a national discussion and movement to help women excel in the workplace quoted incompletely from an interview she gave for “Makers,” a new documentary on feminist history. In a video excerpt, which accompanied the article online, she said: “I always thought I would run a social movement, which meant basically work at a nonprofit. I never thought I’d work in the corporate sector.” She did not merely say, “I always thought I would run a social movement.” Maureen Dowd’s column on Sunday, about Ms. Sandberg’s plans, repeated the incomplete quotation from the newsarticle."
more »

2013-03-01 15:57:57 (1 comments, 10 reshares, 29 +1s)

As TED gets more and more successful, it gets tougher to maintain the amazing vibes that made the conference so popular in the first place.  Can you get bigger without losing intimacy? What's the effect on the actual conference when the vast majority of TED's impact comes from the free online versions of the talks, rather than the talk itself?   And as more people know about the conference, outsiders who can't get in tend to dismiss the show as elitist and out of touch.   

Here's my take from the conference itself.   Which for all its foibles is still pretty cool. 

http://www.wired.com/business/2013/03/ted-on-the-run-how-a-conference-copes-with-the-woes-of-success/

2013-02-21 20:55:41 (15 comments, 12 reshares, 57 +1s)

 "The body of the Pixel is made from an anodized aluminum alloy to create a smooth and durable surface; vents are hidden, screws are invisible and the stereo speakers are seamlessly tucked away beneath the backlit keyboard. The touchpad is made from etched glass, analyzed and honed using a laser microscope to ensure precise navigation...."

This is +Linus Upson apparently in touch with his inner Jonny Ive.  Google hardware has come a long way. 

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-chromebook-pixel-for-whats-next.html

2013-02-21 20:23:15 (9 comments, 4 reshares, 14 +1s)

I was at the PlayStation 4 launch last night, though the PlayStation 4 wasn't.  But Sony gave us an idea of what it's about. The post-Kutaragi PlayStation isn't a reinvention of gaming (as the previous ones tried to be) but a doubling down of the gaming status quo.  Will that hold for the next seven years? 

http://www.wired.com/business/2013/02/sony-circles-the-wagons-with-playstation-4/

2013-02-14 17:40:58 (15 comments, 6 reshares, 49 +1s)

Great pissing match between Elon Musk and NY Times.   By using this data, Musk makes a credible case that the reviewer intentionally courted a fatal battery drain.   On the other hand, it's clear that at this early point in the supercharging infrastructure, you really don't want to be taking detours when you're zooming up the east coast.  When Musk says the reviewer went off the turnpike and went into Manhattan to "give his brother a ride" it sounds like a criminal act.  But most of us are kind of used to the freedom to go a few miles out of the way to give a close relative a lift.    

I had a chance to drive a friend's Tesla for a very brief spin and it is an awesome car.  I hope (and on a good day, I expect) that at some point charging services will be ubiquitous.  But I think Tesla should have waited before inviting test-drives of long-distance jaunts. Ultima... more »

2013-02-02 18:45:23 (8 comments, 19 reshares, 78 +1s)

Interesting stuff from Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen's book.  I think they would have been happier, though, if this hadn't been reported until the book was on sale.   In any case, chalk it up to appetite-whetting.   I'll certainly read it!

2013-01-21 20:40:17 (39 comments, 7 reshares, 58 +1s)

I always liked Phil Mickelson, as do many people, even some who may not be big golf enthusiasts.  His likeability, in fact, is a big factor why he makes over $40 million a year in endorsements.    When his wife was sick, many thousands extended their best wishes to him, and it seemed a situation where their open hearts were welcomed by his wonderful family.  He seemed that rare golfer who had a deep connection to the public. 

So I was kind of stunned to see this.  Apparently because his taxes are now a little higher in California and the US, he's considering "drastic changes" and believes that he was been (presumably unjustly) "targeted."  He says of the "political situation" (which he talks about like the rabble is at his door with pitchforks), "it doesn't work for me right now."

Hey, Phil, no problem if you voted for the guy wholost--... more »

2013-01-19 16:44:07 (14 comments, 2 reshares, 22 +1s)

There are still lingering questions about this Manti Te'o situation, involving both aspects of the digital life and the behavior of a national institution in promoting a storyline when (a) it smells fake and then (b) when it knows the story is a lie.     

It's true that one can become emotionally involved with someone solely by online contact, but even so one wonders about Te'o when he says that "it never occured to him" to visit his soulmate in the hospital when she was supposedly dying.  In any case, he has admitted to lying to his father by saying that he actually met the person.   And he certainly promoted something of a lie by constantly referring to her as his girlfriend when he could clearly see that the story was understood by almost everyone as his relations with a real person he actually spent time with as opposed to a deep online relationship. 
Tha... more »

2013-01-17 15:29:27 (24 comments, 60 reshares, 202 +1s)

I had a great talk with +Larry Page  recently about big ideas, why competition is overrated, and whether Google might grow to a million employees.  (Especially since he no longer personally approves every hire!)

http://www.wired.com/business/2013/01/ff-qa-larry-page/

2013-01-15 20:15:00 (9 comments, 31 reshares, 70 +1s)

I had an opportunity to spend time with Facebook's Graph Search team (led by two ex-Googlers!) , as well as Mark Zuckerberg, in the ramp up to the launch today.   Here's what I came up with. 

2013-01-08 04:12:06 (5 comments, 6 reshares, 39 +1s)

More years ago than I'll admit, I was at a press conference for the Philadelphia city government during the Frank Rizzo regime (look it up, kiddies). A disheveled reporter from the Inquirer asked such tough questions that it almost shut down the show.  He identified himself as Richard Ben Cramer.  It turned out that this guy was back from a stint of Middle East reporting that would soon win him a Pulitzer and while he was in town, he was doing some local work and doing what he did best -- raising hell.

 Those days were only the beginning of a remarkable career where his huge talent and unyielding insistence on doing things right (read: thoroughly and fairly, damn the accountants and the second-guessers) made him a giant.  His book What It Takes is recognized as the standard for political writing.  His DiMaggio book is a classic.   Just read the article I linked to for a sense of who heis.more »

2012-12-21 21:24:25 (9 comments, 36 reshares, 102 +1s)

I always learn something from +Tim O'Reilly so I jumped at the chance to interview him for the Wired "icon" series.   He didn't disappoint.  Among other things, he explained his theory of creating more value than you capture,  why Apple is on the wrong path, how the bubble in Silicon Valley is not valuation but myopia, and what Bible character he identifies himself with.  

2012-12-20 03:08:16 (20 comments, 44 reshares, 135 +1s)

"By putting your hands on the table and spreading them, you zoom into a region, a city, a neighborhood." That was my description, in a 2005 Newsweek story, of a Danny Hillis interactive table top map.   If it sounds like the gesture-based technology in the iPhone -- technology that Apple patented and then sued Samsung and others for implementing -- that's because the Apple gestures weren't exactly original.  That's the belated judgment of the USTPO, after finally figuring out that the Hillis patent on his gestures, and others predating Apple's work, proved that its "discoveries" weren't really novel at all, and by implication the patent office itself failed to recognize this. Two other patents were cited in striking down other interface claims.

Hillis's work wasn't exactly a secret, as my Newsweek article showed.  

Don't get mewr... more »

2012-12-16 15:43:17 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 19 +1s)

Chris Colfer is a good actor and may well have a lot of opinions worth hearing.  But if you are gathering literary impressions for a feature in the Sunday New York Times Book Review and your subject, responding to the question, ""What's the last truly great book you read?" cites a tome of "adorable photos of cats"  that he found at the airport, well, it's time to end the interview and talk to someone else. 

By the way, the print interview leads with that above-cited question, In this linked online version, he is asked what book is on his nightstand.  His answer is his own "first novel."   Obviously, the problem in the publishing industry goes deeper than the challenge of e-books.

2012-12-15 16:41:42 (9 comments, 13 reshares, 109 +1s)

A decent AI program probably could have predicted this:  Ray Kurzweil joins Google.  No confirmation yet that his contract is for 200 years. 

2012-11-20 13:31:05 (53 comments, 40 reshares, 191 +1s)

Alex Madrigal's excellent piece on Obama's tech operation identifies a guy named  Harper Reed as the secret weapon in the digital push that sealed the deal for a second term.  Madrigal also reveals that Reed read my book Hackers as a kid, presumably setting him on the course that led to this.

So... I elected Obama. 

You're welcome. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/11/when-the-nerds-go-marching-in/265325/1/

2012-11-13 15:32:23 (21 comments, 26 reshares, 75 +1s)

While researching the problems with the patent system I came across an amazing case of an amateur inventor whose dining room table discussion in the early 80s led to patents that supposedly made nearly every e-commerce site an infringer.   But one defendant fought back...

I won't spoil the ending--read for yourself!

And do you folks agree with me that the system might be bottoming out, and the very outrage about the patent problem is leading to solutions? 

2012-11-07 16:39:10 (44 comments, 4 reshares, 69 +1s)

I'm not sure if Peggy Noonan was dishonest or clueless in reporting the "vibration" she had that led her to conclude that Romney would win the election, thus rendering questionable the decision of the Wall Street Journal and many other places to feature her punditry.  But in retrospect this essay is worth revisiting because of its bald explanation why her gut feeling was worth sharing:  "Nobody knows anything, Everybody's guessing."

Nate Silver and other data-driven analysts proved her (and all other pundits who shared their gut reaction or their fantasies of who would win) wrong.  We need smart experienced people to help us figure out why something is happening.  We also need sharp minds to interpret the data we get.  What we should have no use for is conclusions made that ignore compelling data.   
http... more »

2012-11-06 17:52:40 (6 comments, 7 reshares, 47 +1s)

I must confess, I am dreading today's elections.
Not because of who might win or lose.
Not because as a Californian, my vote for President will count 1/3 as much as an Alaskan (actually it won't matter at all -- I'm not in a swing state).
Not because my vote for Senate will count 1/50 as much as an Alaskan.

But because no matter what the outcome, our government will still be a giant bonfire of partisanship.  It is ironic since whenever I have met with our elected officials they are invariably thoughtful, well-meaning people.  And yet collectively 90% of their effort seems to be focused on how to stick it to the other party.

So my plea to the victors -- whoever they might be: please withdraw from your respective parties and govern as independents in name and in spirit.  It is probably the biggest contribution you can make to the country.

[If youag... more »

2012-11-05 19:52:21 (2 comments, 4 reshares, 38 +1s)

In all the news about an apocalyptic storm and a big election, perhaps you missed that Insanely Great, my definitive history of the Macintosh (with all sorts of close, contemporary observations of Steve Jobs) is finally out in audio.   I read the whole thing out loud myself and found myself enjoying it (hey, that guy can write!). As a bonus feature I went into a studio with two wonderful members of the original Mac team--Andy Hertzfeld and Joanna Hoffman--for a look back and some thoughtful analysis.   So much thanks to Audible for making this happen. 

2012-11-02 19:12:28 (7 comments, 9 reshares, 73 +1s)

Just heard that my boss, Chris Anderson, has resigned from Wired to devote his energies to his burgeoning robotics business. As anyone can tell from his writings, he was eager to participate in the ongoing revolution that Wired 
covered. Chris was a brilliant leader at Wired, and all of us will miss him.

2012-10-31 14:51:56 (18 comments, 2 reshares, 47 +1s)

Yes, I'm OK.  Quite a time in NYC.   I live on the downtown, 21st-Century-challenged chunk (below 26th St) of NYC.  We have no power, wireless Internet is a rare visitor, and in many buildings (like mine) no water.   My own domicile is on high ground so none of the terrible flooding that hit those closer to the surge.     Today the WIred NYC office (in Conde Nast building on Times Square) is open, so I am enjoying the connectivity and the running water. 

Nature is nature, and generally the disaster response has been great here. (As always, first responders are terrific.)  Also, in the short term, the anticipation was accurate.  But the writing has been on the wall for quite some time that stuff like this was coming, and no politician has been daring enough to read that writing.   Would only that the forceful short-term warnings of Bloomberg and Christie were as strong in demandingthat we m... more »

2012-10-29 12:12:47 (6 comments, 11 reshares, 52 +1s)

As the world falls apart here on the east coast, a comforting sign that somewhere in the world all is as ever:  John Markoff's annual story proclaiming "scientists have discovered some new shit to extend Moore's Law."  Thanks, John.  

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/i-b-m-reports-nanotube-chip-breakthrough/

2012-10-17 12:23:18 (13 comments, 30 reshares, 112 +1s)

We invited +Steven Levy to be the very first journalist to get an inside look at our datacenters and Wired just posted his article. 

2012-10-11 18:09:02 (13 comments, 1 reshares, 24 +1s)

iTunes finally offering Magical Mystery Tour movie.  This reminded me about our media-deprived past.  This was originally shown on British TV in 1967.  But no US network bought it.  You simply could not see it if you lived in US.  There were no VCR's or DVD's.  No YouTube.  Not even cable! Finally, and this is like, 1969, some promoter got rights to show it in US, and it played in small venues, like a rock act.  I saw it at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia as part of a triple bill. The opening act was a new band called Three Dog Night.  The middle act was the Flying Burrito Brothers (yes, with Gram Parsons).  And then we watched Magical Mystery Tour.  

2012-10-11 04:08:40 (5 comments, 4 reshares, 32 +1s)

I've been following the migration from the Good Old Windows And Mouse to the gesture-based interface every since the iPad came out. Now here's an interesting development: a browser that's zoned into that paradigm, with deep social DNA as well. What's more, it's biggest fan, with money where his mouth is, is pioneer of the browser Marc Andreessen.

2012-10-03 13:54:57 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

I liked James Wolcott's book, both as a coming-of-age-as-a-writer memoir and a snapshot of NYC in 70s.  Especially liked the parts about Patti Smith (who was one of the first people I ever interviewed as a journalist, talked to her at Cafe Reggio then went to CBGB's to hear her, Television as opening band), and the Village Voice (I was part of extended family, as my girlfriend-now-wife worked there.)  Here's a good interview with him--in the much much different Voice.

2012-10-02 17:36:22 (13 comments, 5 reshares, 32 +1s)

Now that Nest has announced its next-gen thermostat-- just like a typical Apple upgrade it's thinner, smarter and the same price --I thought I should repost my original piece on the company.   I am fascinated with some of the implications of these smart connected devices in the home, and think that Nest remains one of the more interesting companies in the Valley.

2012-09-14 00:17:30 (24 comments, 7 reshares, 30 +1s)

I've been going to a lot of phone launches lately, and it made me think of the political conventions. This year, the Dems had it together. Every year, Apple has it together. 

Also herein: I compare and contrast Steve Ballmer and Clint Eastwood.



http://www.wired.com/business/2012/09/iphone-5-for-president/

2012-09-05 16:08:10 (12 comments, 11 reshares, 46 +1s)

A few months ago, I found myself in Finland. So I dropped in on Nokia and met the fascinating guy who led design for today's Lumia 920 phone.   He's sort of Finland's Jony Ive.  He's also Finland's Chelsea Clinton, if Chelsea Clinton were leading design at Apple. Here's my story. 

http://www.wired.com/business/2012/09/nokias-visionary-wants-to-out-design-apple/

2012-09-04 14:20:09 (11 comments, 8 reshares, 44 +1s)

I was looking for a citation to something that I heard had occured during the Apple Samsung trial and Googled it.  The first hit gave me what I wanted, but only sort of.  It was a professional blog posting talking about what I was looking for.  But the poster was basically riffing on the actual work of another reporter for the Seattle Times, who actually provided the basic content.    That's OK, if the second reporter has some insight to add, let's hear it.  And he does cite the original.

Here's what is not OK in my opinion. He didn't link to her story.  Meanwhile, there are about eight links in the post and every one of them, including the words Apple, iPhone, Nokia, and Galaxy S III, link internally to his site which is called Boy Genius.  

The reporter is named +Brad Reed.  He seems to be a well-trained reporter.  Am I being too sensitive?  
This is ... more »

2012-09-02 16:58:18 (1 comments, 5 reshares, 35 +1s)

I doubt that many of my followers have heard of Gaeton Fonzi.  But when I began my journalism career in Philadelphia in the mid-1970s, he was a legend, known for unbelievably well-researched and written investigative pieces for Philadelphia Magazine, a publication that just about invented the high-quality regional mag category.   By the time I began writing, he was already gone, off to Miami to start a magazine with his good friend Bernie McCormick (Bernie's elegy is linked).  But when I started writing freelance for Philly Mag, his shadow was unavoidable there, a shadow so long and distinct that you could learn something about reporting and integrity just by standing in it.     I did get to meet him, in the late 1980s, when my wife was working on a Mafia-related book with a Florida angle.   We spent a day with Gaeton and his wife.    I can't remember much of the conversation but I'mpretty ... more »

2012-08-17 16:18:21 (13 comments, 5 reshares, 37 +1s)

Narrating the audio version of Insanely Great (look for it on Audible later this year),  I can across something I forgot: a project created by Bill Atkinson in the mid-1980s.  Here is a description of Magic Slate:

"... a flat panel of liquid crystal display, abou the size and heft of a few legal pads,, perhaps an inch thick, and weighing no more than a pound.  But it would store enough information to equal about an eighty-foot tower of notebooks... Magic Slate's paradigm was the page.  Each screenful represented a page of information.  You'd turn these virtual pages by swiping at the bottom of the screen, the same motion you use to flip a page in a notebook.  There would be no mouse or keyboard--a touch sensitive screen itself would be your control device..."

Sound familiar?

 Amazing that this was before the Web, before PDAs, before e-books, beforejust a... more »

2012-08-10 22:21:30 (10 comments, 4 reshares, 68 +1s)

Earlier I mentioned that I was going to narrate the audio version of "Insanely Great," published in 1994 (ten years after the Mac).   I just was looking at the last chapter, where I muse about the future of computing.  Here's a snippet...

"[On the next generation of cable boxes] our remote controls will be pointing devices, allowing us to move the cursors over menus with entries like "Nightline" or "Casablanca."  Further into the future, if we wear eye-phone goggles and other virtual reality apparel, the menus may appear before us in space, and the pointing device will be ... our fingers... we will cross the line between substance and cyberspace with increasing regularity." 

Too bad I didn't get a patent.  What a troll I could have been!

2012-08-10 21:39:52 (18 comments, 5 reshares, 31 +1s)

This is a great inspiration for me, as next week I'm going to the studio at Audible to record the narration for the long-overdue (and, I hope, long-awaited!)  audio book of "Insanely Great."   My first thought -- what kids these were!   Thanks +Andy Hertzfeld! 

2012-07-23 14:35:47 (9 comments, 24 reshares, 98 +1s)

In all the +Marissa Mayer coverage, there has been surprisingly little said about one of the most significant achievements in her tenure at Google -- the success of the Associate Product Manager program she conceived and ran.  According to the Yahoo press release over 300 highly coveted CS grads with potential CEO skills came into Google through this initiative, and Mayer set out to mentor all of them.  It's not too much of a leap to expect some of them (many of whom are post-Google already) to take jobs at Yahoo. 

2012-07-17 15:08:09 (27 comments, 18 reshares, 82 +1s)

I've gotten to know Marissa pretty well -- she was obviously a great help to my book -- and I think she's an inspired choice to lead Yahoo.   While it's still up in the air whether the company can once again be a pillar of the Net, I do know that she will be tireless in helping Yahoo develop new products, improve its face to users, and restore a hungry, tech culture to a floundering enterprise.