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jlukanta

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As always, you can copy and paste the title on Google and bypass the paywall or use the "web" link under the title.

For those who won't bother, this is the TLDR version:

"Chinatown’s 80-plus produce markets are cheap because they are connected to a web of small farms and wholesalers that operate independently of the network supplying most mainstream supermarkets ... Because the wholesalers are in Chinatown, they can deliver fresh produce several times a day, eliminating the need for retailers to maintain storage space or refrigeration"

Response from IBM (via its Hong Kong office’s blog):

IBM does not comment on rumors or speculation. However, we’ll make an exception when the speculation is stupid. That’s the case here, where an industry gadfly is trying to make noise about how IBM is about to lay off 26 percent of its workforce. That’s over 100,000 people, which is totally ludicrous.

The fact is that IBM already announced, after 3Q earnings report, that the company would take a $600 million charge for restructuring. That’s several thousand people. Not 10,000, or 100,000. Moreover, IBM currently has job postings for more than 10,000 professionals worldwide, with more than half of them in growth areas such as cloud, analytics, security and mobile technologies. IBM’s new cloud leader, Senior Vice President Robert LeBlanc, told Fortune this week that IBM has plans to hire 1,000 cloud professionals.

A little perspective on IBM’s earnings is in order. The company still makes huge profit… $21 billion in operating pre-tax profit last year. And IBM’s “strategic imperatives” represent 27% ( and growing ) of the company’s total revenue… $25 billion in revenues, up 16 percent. We have high growth in a substantial portion of the portfolio, and those areas (CAMSS) have better-than-normal margins in areas that matter most to clients today — that’s the heart of the IBM transformation.

https://ibmhkblog.wordpress.com/

Thanks for posting this. As others said, it takes guts to do it. I don't think you necessarily need to stick with your idea, especially if you aren't passionate about it. Quitting early is better than spending a couple of years being miserable because you don't think your work amounts to much.

"Generally speaking, there are only a few ways to make money on the Internet."

And the article goes on claiming that e-commerce and marketplaces, hardware, and ads are those few ways.

This can't be true considering how much money Netflix (subscription), AWS (metered pay), mobile games (IAP) are making.

From first row (left to right):

Oprah Winfrey (The Oprah Winfrey Show), Jan Koum (WhatsApp), Jack Ma (Alibaba), Evan Williams (Twitter), Caterina Fake (Flickr), Hosain Rahman (Jawbone), Dustin Moskovitz (Facebook), Paul Graham (YC), Adora Cheung (Homejoy), Kevin Hale (Wufoo), Leah Busque (TaskRabbit), Brian Chesky (AirBnB), Patrick Collison (Stripe), Benjamin Franklin (USA)

I'm not sure why you got downvoted because our experience matches yours. Just like everything, this mantra needs to be put in context. There are different stages in a startup life. It is possible that some strategies would cease to be valid once you go beyond certain stage.

Interesting point about market size. If it's true that companies often lie to themselves about their market, what can they do to identify their real market? Is there an objective measure or is it purely subjective?

Same problem here. I recommend having a far higher limit on free users. Maybe you can also charge less if the growth rate of active users is less than x% per month. They won't have money to pay anyway without traction.

It's interesting that he claimed IBM has probably been doomed since 2010, considering that the stock price in 2010 was around $120, and it is now $187.06. I guess 50% increase means the company is dying.

I find it difficult to come up with the right validation criteria. Would you share your thought process? How did you come up with specific numbers?

  Of a sampling set of people searching for Charades online, at least 25% will sign up
  to check out the game.