Walmart wants in on the video streaming biz. It failed miserably in music downloads and DVD rentals, but with it’s clout it could have an impact on the market. Like MP3′s and discs in the mail, I’m betting this will be a short lived venture.
Just like Wallyworld, Amazon’s sales are up with falling profits. If you sell to consumers, competition is very tough for the few $$ they have left to spend. Maybe Bezos & Co could pump profits selling cloud services to Vivek Kundra & Co?
Google complains about flaws in the patent system. No trolling revenue at Searchzilla?
DHS’ latest Chicken Little scare: Stuxnet clones targeting US.
Only fruity books are allowed in Mr Jobs’ orchard. B&N drops out.
Fox to require subscription / viewer authentication for new shows. Bittorrent traffic likely to surge.
AT&T must have put Senator Franken in coach for the for the flight to its last sponsored retreat. Franken wants T Mobile take over blocked.
Both Dell and HP are reporting healthy gains due to a recent bump in IT spend. I’d love to paint a rosy picture about the end of the tech depression, but we’re still far from catching up to where we’ve already been. In fact, IT spend is yet to fully recover. It has been in free fall for the last 3 to 4 years, and many I know in the industry will argue budgets have been shrinking for a decade. If anything a bump had to come along soon just because stuff is wearing out or it’s become cheaper to replace than maintain.
I don’t expect this will create a better job market the army of American IT workers who are unemployed and under employed. Much of the engineering, manufacture and support takes place elsewhere these days. The current federal policy has been open hostile to all tech. That means new investment is likely to take place where policy, regulation and tax rates are friendlier.
While we’ve heard lots of rhetoric about new growth in “green tech jobs”. The reality is that they have been few and have only come with heavy government subsidies. In an of themselves, endless government subsidies are not sustainable. Sustainable jobs are created by a competitive market and minimal government interference. We need to put some green back in peoples wallets with sustainable, non-subsidy dependent jobs, creating goods and services that have real market value and generate real profits. What we don’t need is more un-sustainable rhetoric.
Meanwhile, Dell and HP shareholders can rejoice. I’m betting many will take their profits this year before taxes go up.
Well the labor markets sure don’t reflect any shortage at the current time –
The agency first took note of America’s looming shortage in computing, science and tech experts in January, when the agency requested proposals that would attract more teens to careers in the field. The agency then suggested tactics like career days, mentorships and more scholarship money to get the job done. Dugan, however, is touting flashier options. “Box O’ Radar,” for one, would give kids the chance to build and test their own radar devices. Or, she told the panel, we could turn teens into app-making machines.
“Additional ideas included the development of an application ‘marketplace’ devoted to STEM [science, technology, engineering, mathematics] that would post challenges such as ‘apps to teach electronics’ or ‘apps to teach radar’ or just ‘coolest app with a practical use,’” she said. “Prizes might range from iPods to scholarships.”
The geek-recruitment schemes were just a few of the ideas tossed around at Darpa’s recent Industry Summit — a meeting between Darpa managers and 120 American industry heads that Dugan said was meant “to engage the leadership of US industry.”
Seriously, anybody seen an uptick in IT salaries lately? Anybody?
Former Third Pipe affiliate and popular online retailer Newegg has just announced and IPO during one of the worst recessions in history. Much of the money expected to be raised will fund an expansion in Asia, but it will also convert founder Fred Chang’s majority stake in the company to cash. Is the company seizing the opportunity to take market share while competition is pulling back? Is the founder cashing out in uncertain times? I think it’s a little of both.
According to the prospectus, Newegg plans to use $25.0 million from the IPO to expand its international operations, including building an Asian headquarters and a regional warehouse. It will also pay back $8.6 million in loans, and pocket the rest for working capital and general corporate purposes.
Insight Venture Partners owns a 12.7 percent stake in the firm, thanks to a $20 million investment it made in the company in 2005. (Internet news)
There’s a small sign of hope for the IT business coming from Tata in India. The company plans to begin hiring again.
Tata Consulting Services (TCS) has said it plans to hire 25,000 people, marking the end of a slowdown for Indian outsourcers that began with the collapse of Lehman Brothers last September.
TCS vice-president Tanmoy Chakrabarty said that the outfit employs 145,000 people and wants to add 25,000 by the end of the year
According to the Times of India, analysts in the ancient land said that the TCS hiring plans come after a long dull period and the announcement will boost the Indian IT recruitment scene. (The Inquirer)
This could be a sign of eventual rebound for IT jobs here in the US. After the last recession, jobs with offshore outsourcers led the recovery ahead of US hiring. Unfortunately, since the last recession, the growth offshore has consistently outpaced hiring here. I have high hopes that this is a good sign. With the depth current recession and government policy that is largely hostile to business, I fear US hiring will remain soft. Politicians who propose new taxes and regulations should consider the unintended results of their actions as well as the intended ones.
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