Thomas Lee - Faculty Research in Knowledge@Wharton

Google: In Search of Itself

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 15:20:43 EST

In a span of four days earlier this month, Google launched an initiative to enable social networking tools to work across dozens of web sites and rounded up 33 partners to develop software to power a new generation of cell phones. While these efforts illustrate Google's determination to keep expanding its territory, they also increase the challenges faced by the $200 billion company. And they pose a question that seems to crop up more and more these days: Where is Google headed?

Oracle's Acquisition Binge: Trying to Cover All Its (Data) Bases

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 08:42:20 EST

For Oracle, the past few months have been one big shopping spree. On January 31, the enterprise software giant purchased longtime rival Siebel Systems, the leading provider of customer relationship management software. On February 14, it acquired Sleepycat, an "open source" database maker; two days later it bought HotSip AB, a Swedish telecommunications software provider. For many companies, Oracle's month would have been a year's worth of merger and acquisition activity, but for the Redwood Shores, Calif.-based firm, it's the norm. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison made a big splash in 2004 by announcing he would consolidate the software industry, starting with archrival PeopleSoft, and he has been true to his word. The real test, however, lies ahead: Can Oracle attract new customers?

Battle over Blackberry: Is the U.S. Patent System Out of Whack?

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 08:41:46 EST

On Friday, February 24, the long-running patent dispute between Research In Motion, which makes the popular BlackBerry wireless email and communications device, and NTP, a holding company that claims RIM technology infringes on its patents, will finally have its day in court. That's when a federal judge will consider a possible injunction that would effectively shut down BlackBerry service in the U.S. But perhaps just as important as the specific facts of this case are the broader questions it raises: For example, could RIM be shut down even as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is re-evaluating several of the disputed patents? Is the patent office bogged down with so many patent applications that it can no longer function effectively? Are companies abusing the original intent of patent law? And can a system that in 1977 permitted a patent for a "comb over" -- technically a "method of styling hair to cover partial baldness using only the hair on a person's head" -- keep up with technological innovation?

Why Is Microsoft Afraid of Google?

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 16:43:39 EST

In the few short years of its existence, Google has come a long way, simultaneously striking fear in the hearts of major players in the computer industry and also arousing their curiosity. While the company is keeping all competitors on their toes, it poses a special threat to one particular company -- Microsoft. Why? Because Google's existing and potential products -- as well as those of other firms -- raise the specter that Microsoft may witness an erosion of its control over the platform for the next generation of software application development, according to Wharton faculty members who follow the technology sector. Just how serious is this threat and what is Microsoft doing to combat it?

Microsoft's "Longhorn" Operating System: Sure Hit or Longshot?

Wed, 18 May 2005 15:30:26 EST

When Microsoft chairman Bill Gates touts his company's next Windows operating system, code named "Longhorn," he can barely contain his enthusiasm, adding "it will be super to get that out in the hands of our customers." The big question is whether customers will share Gates' enthusiasm more than a year from now. The answer will depend a lot on upcoming improvements in software security, sales in the technology industry and Microsoft's ability to remain a cutting-edge innovator.

Oracle and PeopleSoft: In Dubious Battle?

Wed, 06 Oct 2004 15:59:56 EST

Fifteen months after launching its hostile takeover bid for PeopleSoft, Oracle has moved closer to victory by winning a Department of Justice lawsuit that sought to block the merger. While the fight is far from over, will the victory - if it arrives - be a Pyrrhic one for Oracle? Experts at Wharton and elsewhere weigh in on the prospects.

New Law: Is Spam On the Lam?

Wed, 17 Dec 2003 16:41:41 EST

New federal legislation in the U.S. to put a lid on Internet spam – the torrent of unwanted commercial e-mails promoting Nigerian business investments, mortgages and body-parts enlargement – may help against the electronic onslaught. But the law – known as the Can Spam Act – has serious limitations, at least for those who are serious about cracking down on the biggest abusers. Better solutions to the spam problem can be found in economic and technological change, according to Wharton faculty and others.

What's Behind Oracle's Unwelcome Bid for PeopleSoft?

Tue, 17 Jun 2003 00:00:00 EST

Oracle�s Larry Ellison, a chief executive not known for being timid, has thrown a big boulder into a small pond with his company�s hostile takeover bid for PeopleSoft. The ripples will be rocking companies in the business software industry for some time to come. What are the reasons for Ellison�s move, what does he expect to accomplish and how likely is it that his strategy will fail? Wharton faculty look at the players in this clubby, and highly competitive, industry.