Bo G's Profile

Thanks, Jaclyn. I was not aware of the troubles my beloved childhood toy went through and how they recovered. I’m a bit wary of the reliance on the strategy of crowdsourcing as the primary method for innovation. Mark B. mentioned above and was similarly my thinking as I read your story, it’s something that is exciting and working now but how is the company thinking about a potential trend away from consumer engagement? I’d be curious to see how they think of trends as an organization and how these match with the ultimate consumer. Against virtual reality, I do see the organization as insulated in some ways given their requirement for physical pieces. A move away from this would change who they are as a company and remove many of the selling points they currently have i.e. non-screen, motor development. Lastly, I thought your point regarding moving to non-play spaces would be worth exploring, I wonder how much their brand would stand in the way of business professionals taking them seriously.

Great read, Ian. As someone who is not in the public markets as well, exposure to a fintech like neighborly is interesting. In response to your question, I would agree with a point that you raised earlier about what the overall mission of the organization should be. This idea that neighborly can provide catered products to municipalities that don’t have access or that level of customization should be key as they look to scale. While this likely dampens their growth profile, it seems to be more in line with what they are trying to do as a two-sided markets for smaller municipal projects.

Brian, great story. I would echo the sentiment in some of the previous posters in that, newspaper readers, whether it is on sports or politics, want something more than facts. They look for opinions, reactions, player remarks, the illusion of suspense to feel like they were at the game. Unless AI can provide this, I see a place where they are desired. In my work in investor relations, I have seen the advantages of AI in curating earning reports of competitors and summarizing. Where it was useful for me or the CEO for example, is a quick summary and a guide for what details I needed to dig into. At the end of the day, unless you can form an opinion on what that competitors announcement means to you, the technology will only be a funnel for end users.

Great read. I do agree with your points and some of the points of other commenters that there will be significant perception issues to overcome and safety concerns to disprove before printed homes move to main stream from niche. Regarding your question around concern for displacing local jobs in the housing market, I think there is critical mass to be gained before that is a real threat. In some developing areas that I have visited, the ability to reduce homelessness outweighs the little money the workers in the construction business are paid, many of whom may be homeless themselves. I think its a great opportunity.

Great points, Josep. I think the way that Nike controls the design and the product messaging is to put limits around the customization. Customization should be around color schemes, or fit on a foot i.e. amount of arch a shoe has, initials; what the customization should not include are changes to the fundamental design or symbols, etc. I wonder if there is a way to flag potentially offensive signs as well.

Elizabeth, as for your question around athletes, I agree with Emma’s points. Lebron and Jordan fans will continue buying their favorite sneakers as they have a connection with the player and their brand. Nike will still be able to lead with its shoe and athletes for lifestyle shoppers, where I see the customization and 3D printing really making a difference are for those athletes within ourselves searching for performance.

Thank you for sharing, Geek Squad. I certainly see the benefits for a law firm that is looking to incorporate this technology in their organization. However, it does bring up the interesting point if lawyers are essentially cannibalizing themselves. At the junior level, moving to AI certainly raises the bar for hiring; the baseline for joining a firm is now what junior rainmakers were typically learning in the first few years. I see changes within the curriculums at law schools to reflect this. At the same time, there is no replacement for the reps junior lawyers receive in these early years so it becomes a slippery slope for the profession over the next 30 – 50 years. Overall, I don’t see coders as a threat to lawyers, at this time, AI is great for boilerplate agreements and grunt work. However, as a client of a complex transaction or case, I want to know that my lawyers know the ins and outs and can attest to anything that is shared with the other side.