Out of the top ten on NASDAQ, which hit 5,000 – the last time was during the dot.com era – only Microsoft, IBM and Cisco remain. Newly emerged players are in intersecting spaces such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook.
Yahoo was supposed to be a tech company. Now it’s a portal, aggregated news site, neither social nor service (chat?).
Recent NYT article touched on the uneasy tug of war between tech and telecom.
Both rely on each other to reach their intended target. Both spill over to the other’s turf (Google phone, Apple TV).
At times, it’s worse. With big war chests, tech companies venture into traditionally unrelated turf e.g. Google Compare (auto insurance).
I remembered the pervasive influence of Microsoft at Telecom Trade shows back in the dot.com era.
Nowt it’s Google which is the 800-pound gorilla.
But the NASDAQ portfolio is now a more balanced and mature one.
Still with irrational exuberance albeit more tamed.
More “social”.
More intersecting.
And of course, more relevant.
We can now upload, and discuss the Internet of Things (and hopefully the Intelligence of People).
I am both optimistic and skeptical. Hope it stays that way. We need capitalization for clearer air and cleaner water, to fight disease and poverty (One world, not Second and Third world). It takes a lot to stay King of the Hill. In the top ten list of NASDAQ, with 15 years in between, where is Yahoo?
Thang Nguyen 555 