Disruptive Leadership

Over the last five years, the public and private sectors have introduced a plethora of initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide and bringing computers to underserved markets.
Intel launched the World Ahead program in 2006, a sweeping initiative to encompass all activities Intel was driving to bridge the digital divide.  Microsoft launched Unlimited Potential in [...]

Recently I participated in an online debate sponsored by Infodev and UNESCO on technology in education with Walter Bender, CEO of Sugar Labs, the non-profit organization that provides the software for the XO laptop of One Laptop Per Child. The debate was focused on which model was better for schools in the developing world. I [...]

The initial $100 price tag of the XO Laptop from Nicholas Negroponte’s One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) created quite a furor when it was first announced three years ago. At the time, the cheapest laptops were hovering around $400 to $500.
This subject has been rehashed many times in the press and the blogosphere, but reading [...]

This is a reposting of an article I wrote last week for NextBillion.net.  NextBillion is a site that “brings together business leaders, social entrepreneurs, NGOs, policy makers, and academics who want to explore the connection between development and enterprise.” While a few of the ideas are covered in the About section of this blog, I wanted [...]

This post is the third part of a three-part series exploring the ongoing “battle” between Nicholas Negroponte’s OLPC laptop project and Intel’s Classmate PC. Part 1 focused on the role “ego” plays, creating unnecessary acrimony, and potentially thwarting progress on both sides. Part 2 focused on Negroponte’s decision to make his company a [...]