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The Changing Silicon Valley Career Path

April 20, 2011 by apurvadesai

Recently, Silicon Valley has been a buzz about Google losing key employees to Twitter, Zynga, and Facebook and the massive retention bonuses that Google has given to keep key executives.  Now, in the Valley, employee turnover every few years is commonplace so I wonder, is this type of turnover any different than the typical Silicon Valley career path?   I believe it is and to understand why, let’s first consider a blue print High-Tech career path. Continue Reading »

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My Dot.com Boom and Bust Story

April 5, 2011 by apurvadesai

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion around whether a new “bubble” has hit Silicon Valley and the Internet world. Facebook, Zynga, Groupon, Twitter, and Linkedin all have substantial multiple billion dollar valuations which is often cited as evidence of this bubble. The recent $41 million funding round for social based startup Color before the launch of their product has generated even more debate about this bubble. Google’s Eric Schmidt, noted entrepreneur Steve Blank, and the New York Times all have recently commented with views supporting the concept of this bubble. Continue Reading »

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Finally A Reason to Watch the Local News

April 3, 2011 by apurvadesai

On March 11 2:46 PM local Japan time, the tragic and devastating earthquake hit Japan followed by the even more damaging tsunami about an hour later.   Eight hours later, the fast moving tsunami (Tsunamis travel about 500 miles per hour under water) led to warnings up and down the Northern California coast, including the Bay Area where I live.

In San Francisco, the Japan earthquake hit at 10:46 PM local time on March 10 (sixteen hour time zone difference).   That night, I read about it online via my Twitter feed and also watched some coverage on CNN.   I soon went to sleep as usual with the next morning being a typical work day.  Continue Reading »

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The Finance Role in Silicon Valley

March 27, 2011 by apurvadesai

I’ve spent the last 10 years working in operations finance roles for companies in the Silicon Valley, ranging from large billion dollar companies with hundred thousand employees to startups with less than 30 employees.     Here are some of the lessons and philosophies I’ve picked up over the years about the Finance role in the Silicon Valley. Continue Reading »

Posted in Silicon Valley, Startups, Technology | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

Get Enchanted by Guy Kawasaki

March 7, 2011 by apurvadesai

Guy Kawasaki has had a remarkable career, gaining notoriety first as Chief Evangelist at Apple followed by successful stints as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Given his background as a product visionary, when I had the chance to read his new book Enchantment (subtitled The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions), I suspected it would yield the key to creating enchanting products.   To my delight, it was so much more than that- it was in fact, more of a blueprint to a lead better life, and first and foremost, offer ways to positively change your own heart, mind, and actions. Continue Reading »

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My Internet ADD- 2 years later

March 5, 2011 by apurvadesai

In June 2009, I wrote a post titled The Evolution of Internet ADD which chronicled the primary sources of my near Internet addiction.  Now, nearly 2 years later, it’s a good time to see how consumption patterns are changing.    As you’ll see, the theme now for me is most certainly mobile.

Below, here’s how I rate the primary drivers of my internet usage in March 2011, using a qualitative scale of 1-10, with 10 representing heaviest use. Continue Reading »

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Engaging the World with TEDxBerkeley

February 22, 2011 by apurvadesai

TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. They maintain a must visit website featuring inspired talks from leading thought leaders.   Local TED groups (designated by TEDx) organize and hold their own events following the spirit of TED’s mission.   This past weekend, I had the good fortune to attend TEDxBerkeley’s conference– Engaging the World,  at the UC Berkeley campus.

The list of speakers: Continue Reading »

Posted in Education, Globalization, Internet, Leadership | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Miami University’s Digital Innovation Campus- the Future of Innovation education?

February 20, 2011 by apurvadesai

Recently, I heard a presentation from Miami University Professors Peg Faimon and Glenn Platt about the details of the Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies (AIMS) planned digital innovation campus to be opened in the San Francisco Bay Area.   As an alum of Miami University, a public university in Oxford, Ohio, working in the Bay Area, this is an exciting development and makes me ask the question if this is the model of digital innovation education at undergraduate programs across the US. Continue Reading »

Posted in Education, Silicon Valley, Startups, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments »

Pandora’s Example- Continuous Learning at the Workforce

February 18, 2011 by apurvadesai

Given double digit unemployment rates throughout the US and in the Bay Area where I live along with questions about the ability of the US to compete in a global marketplace, continuous learning and retraining at the workplace seems to be essential.   Relatedly, the challenge has been made by leading thinkers in the media and the government urging the US to find new ways to innovate.    Here are two recent tweets that illustrates this challenge and new reality from Bay Area entrepreneurs Dan Martell and Eric Ries and from President Obama during the State of the Union address. Continue Reading »

Posted in Education, Internet, Music, Startups | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Mary Meeker’s Latest- Top 10 Mobile Trends

February 10, 2011 by apurvadesai

Mary Meeker, current Venture Capitalist at Kleiner Perkins and former banking analyst at Morgan Stanley, has built her reputation on visionary forward looking views of the Internet.    Here’s her latest gem focused on the Mobile Internet.    Read, contemplate, and digest. Continue Reading »

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