This post is the second part of a two-part series on thought leadership for computer makers in emerging markets. Part 1 focused on the companies striving for thought leadership over the last several years … OLPC, Intel, Microsoft, and AMD. Part 2 discusses the characteristics companies will need to develop if they want to become [...]
Four years ago, Nicholas Negroponte announced the One Laptop per Child initiative and the $100 laptop to much fanfare in Davos, Switzerland. He captured the imaginations of world leaders with promises of ultra-affordable computing for school children around the world. He talked about changing the way children learn, improving their education and ultimately [...]
I’ve always thought that the next major technology disruption would come from the developing world. This could partly be just a bias on my part (most of my career has been developing computer businesses in emerging markets). The underlying logic behind this belief is that disruptive innovations are cheaper, easier to use, and bring some [...]
For the month of October, I have decided to highlight a company as the Disruptive Leader of the Month. NComputing has been on my radar for awhile as one of the few for-profit startup companies that are targeting emerging markets and the digital divide, but I had not looked at them as a serious [...]
I have mentioned Safaricom in this blog several times as an example of a classic disruptive leader and touted their M-Pesa text-based payment system as a game-changing service targeting the bottom of the pyramid (BOP). But a recent article in the International Herald Times showcases the challenges this service and others face. In truth, any [...]
