Google - Mahony Partners

Apr

2017

The Good News From Uber You Missed

The most important thing to know about Uber was buried deep in the business pages of the New York Times on Saturday. (more…) Read More

Aug

2016

Sergey Brin, Meet Bill Norris

Financial Services, Taking & Managing Risk

Alphabet (the company formerly known as Google) reported healthy earnings a few weeks ago. Its revenue reached $21.5 billion, which included $185mm in sales from moonshot projects – investments in everything from driverless cars and solar-powered drones to genomics. But as executives discussed these ventures with investors, a faint echo from an earlier age – and an earlier entrepreneur - could be heard. It is a w... Read More

Oct

2013

Elon Musk and the Art of the Outrageous Prediction

Taking & Managing Risk

Elon Musk, entrepreneur and PR genius, has done it again. He boldly predicted that the arrival of a self-driving car was just three years away. The press took note, and Mr. Musk found himself on the front page of the Financial Times. His gambit shows that an outlandish statement... Read More

Mar

2013

A Rogue Tweet Spoils George Oborne’s Party

Media

You have to feel some sympathy for UK finance minister George Osborne. Not only is he dealing with a stubbornly weak economy, but his top-secret annual budget presentation to Parliament was spoiled by an errant tweet. The incident was widely covered and featured plenty of hand-wringing and finger-pointing. But it’s amazing this sort of blunder doesn’t happen more often. (more…) Read More

Oct

2012

Google’s Earnings Goof

Crisis

It’s embarrassing anytime a company’s earnings are released accidentally. But when the company is a giant known for its savvy technology skills, well, it’s a calamity. Amid the morning-after explanations, several questions remain unanswered. (more…) Read More

Jul

2012

After the LIBOR Scandal, More Transparency?

Financial Services

Perhaps the only thing more surprising than the LIBOR rate-fixing scandal that engulfed Barclays last week is the method by which the rate is set. For more than four decades, the benchmark interest rate has been set by a group of banks, based on voluntary declarations of each bank’s borrowing cost, not actual trades. But the LIBOR determination isn’t the only arcane banking convention that has come under question in recent weeks. The flubbed Facebook IPO has cast doubt on the book-building process by which equity offerings have been managed for decades. Thanks to these two high profile incidents, every opaque process in the financial market is likely to face scrutiny – and growing pre... Read More