Maya

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On November 20, 2016, Maya commented on The Digitization of Microfinance: bKash in Bangladesh :

Awesome post – happy to see that there are so many opportunities to enables unbaked populations to have access to capital. One question that I have though is regarding the legitimacy / legal authorization that bKash has. Indeed, Bkash does not have any license under the banking company act – do you think it can provide banking services? Isn’t there a long-term risk likely to jeopardize its customers?

On November 20, 2016, Maya commented on Hungry? Try 3D printing your food :

Thanks for an interesting post – that could indeed be the future of food.

However, it seems like the technology comes with a great many challenges. Typical 3D food requires successive layers of ingredients to cool and cook, sometimes leading to very long wait times. Processing meat for instance can be very complicated because unlike plastic of metals, such food ingredient interacts with others. Moreover, how do you think the culinary world will feel about 3D food printers? Wouldn’t it reduce all food to “fast-food/processed food”?

Thanks Mike for such a fascinating post! I really think that Medtronic can change the lives of people suffering from diabetes. Its automatic approach will perform better than manual fine-tuning. Patients will no longer chase their blood sugar with insulin, but will really “get ahead of it” and be in better control of their body and their disease. However, do you think the company can bring more than further improvements to pumps and actually cure patients? What would be an appropriate approach in your opinion to leverage their experience to sustainably change their patients’ lives?

Thanks for a very powerful article about an impactful initiative. However great the objective may be, I have read that the Polaris Project has often been criticized, notably by public health advocates. Indeed, regarding prostitution especially, critics point out that the initiative fails to distinguish between consenting adults and actual victims of coercion. Critics state that the fact that Polaris advocates law enforcement solutions leads to harming sex workers or arresting them – even though there are generally the victims of prostitution. What is your view on that?

On November 20, 2016, Maya commented on Uber’s Bet on Self-Driving Car :

Thanks for opening a fascinating discussion about self-driving cars – very hot topic! Indeed, over the last years, there have been several stories in the news about the development of self-driving cars. Several states have debated legislation re. authorizing self-driving cars. However, only a few number of states have enacted such laws. Do you think such trend is reversible? On the one hand, there is a legal vagueness that lets one assume that autonomous vehicles may technically be allowed to operate over the roads – if a human being sits behind the wheel. On the other hand, laws require that a “human wheel” operates the care. Which direction will laws/regulators embrace?

On November 7, 2016, Maya commented on Is Chipotle facing a guacapocalypse? :

Thanks a lot for an awesome post !

My follow up question would be: don’t you think that Chipotle should actually drop avocados and build another value proposition (based on another key ingredient) ? However hard that might be, it would protect the company from two risks: (1) the fear of a ‘guacapocalypse’ coming from climate change threats and (2) the negative social impact avocado production has on communities (for instance lack of drinking water in Chile)

Thanks a lot for such an interesting post! I saw that you mentioned Air France as an example in terms of sustainable measures – with partnering and innovating in the supply chain, training pilots on fuel efficient practices, educating passengers with CO2 emissions calculators and modernizing fleet and aircraft interior. However, Air France has been in considerable financial difficulties over the last years – leading to strong cost and debt cutting. Do you think such company can stand for an example? To what extent do you think that the innovative measures Air France developed can explain its decline in operation performance – from a purely financial perspective?

On November 7, 2016, Maya commented on Show Me the Honey: Plight of the Humble Bee :

Thanks a lot for a deep analysis on an original topic!

Reading your post made me think of some sort of “death spiral”. In order to limit the effects of climate change on the industry, it seems that we have to negatively affect climate even more negatively – by using pesticides, medications, and anti-parasitic chemical regimens to maximize the probability that hives survive into the next season. You then mention three innovative ideas to help shape more sustainable strategies to save the business – do you believe that one of them can prove to be successful in the short run? Isn’t the required investment too high for the project to be undertaken?

On November 7, 2016, Maya commented on Blue Apron: Delivering an efficient tomorrow :

Thanks for such a great post Aakash! I loved reading about this inspiring company and will be very curious to see where it goes next.

As much as I love the business model and the company’s philosophy, I am afraid of the consequences of an expansion strategy. Indeed, I am not sure that the “0 waste” / tailored meal delivered is compatible with a mass market distribution – and therefore could be considered as a serious and sustainable alternative to “food business as usual”. Any thought on that?

Thanks a lot for such an insightful post!

To your final comment, I indeed think that Zara’s actions regarding sustainability are more of a communication / advertising campaign or just a way for the company to respect an all the more severe legislation than an actual change in the business model. With over 2000 stores worldwide, Zara is the pioneer of the fast fashion model. How can the company ensure that low prices – that are its value proposition – don’t come at a cost to the environment?