Past the eighth fold: Semiconductors at the Wharton Technology Conference
Amanda Thomas, WG'07
Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: News
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How many times can you fold a piece of paper in half? If it's a regular 8.5 x 11 sheet, the limit is 8 (although when I tried it, I only got to seven). So what do you do if progress in your industry is defined by the number of times you fold your paper, and you've already hit the eighth fold?
According to Dr. Bernard Meyerson, an IBM Fellow, VP of Strategic Alliances, and Chief Technologist, Systems and Technology group at IBM, this is essentially what happened to the semiconductor industry in 2005, and the solution dramatically changed the dynamics of the industry. Meyerson was one of the speakers on the leadership panel of this year's Technology Conference, held at the Philadelphia Convention Center on February 23, 2007.
With close to 440 attendees, the technology conference covered an eclectic range of technology topics ranging from amateur content to software collaboration, green technology to consumer electronics, and digital media to venture capital. Panelists spoke about emerging trends that affect the way technology and media companies are reaching out to younger generations, the way consumers' desire to simplify the devices they use is driving the move towards convergence, and the challenges associated with providing secure access for e-commerce.
Panelists such as Art Chang, President and Founder of Tipping Point Partners, shared their views on what is at the heart of successful web 2.0 businesses, "the opportunity is to connect people with what they are passionate about. Companies that are successful are those that enable people to do this in an effective way," and offered career advice, from "the soft stuff is what matters - few financial geniuses become Warren Buffet," to tips on how to not let your MBA be your last level of education - "have endless curiosity, a need for achievement, and being passionately interested in people."
Robert Carter, the Executive Vice President and CIO of FedEx kicked-off the conference, and the day was closed by Al Nugent, the Chief Technology Officer from CA.
According to Dr. Bernard Meyerson, an IBM Fellow, VP of Strategic Alliances, and Chief Technologist, Systems and Technology group at IBM, this is essentially what happened to the semiconductor industry in 2005, and the solution dramatically changed the dynamics of the industry. Meyerson was one of the speakers on the leadership panel of this year's Technology Conference, held at the Philadelphia Convention Center on February 23, 2007.
With close to 440 attendees, the technology conference covered an eclectic range of technology topics ranging from amateur content to software collaboration, green technology to consumer electronics, and digital media to venture capital. Panelists spoke about emerging trends that affect the way technology and media companies are reaching out to younger generations, the way consumers' desire to simplify the devices they use is driving the move towards convergence, and the challenges associated with providing secure access for e-commerce.
Panelists such as Art Chang, President and Founder of Tipping Point Partners, shared their views on what is at the heart of successful web 2.0 businesses, "the opportunity is to connect people with what they are passionate about. Companies that are successful are those that enable people to do this in an effective way," and offered career advice, from "the soft stuff is what matters - few financial geniuses become Warren Buffet," to tips on how to not let your MBA be your last level of education - "have endless curiosity, a need for achievement, and being passionately interested in people."
Robert Carter, the Executive Vice President and CIO of FedEx kicked-off the conference, and the day was closed by Al Nugent, the Chief Technology Officer from CA.
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