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business

Ted Murphy
In events

What to Expect at WWDC

Next week, thousands of developers will step away from the computer and converge on the mecca for Apple developers everywhere: Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. While everyone is whipping out their crystal balls, trying to forecast what Apple will reveal at the conference, let’s begin by looking back at WWDC’s history. The first conference was held in 1983, though it wasn’t anything like it is today–it was a small gathering held in Monterey, Calif.

Highlights from the History of WWDC:

  • 1997: Steve Jobs, in his keynote, explains his vision for cloud computing (14 years before iCloud would be launched)

  • 2003: The Power Mac G5 is announced, and Jobs gives attendees an advanced screening of “Finding Nemo.”

  • 2005: Apple announces it will start using Intel microprocessors in its Macs.

  • 2006: The very first Mac Pro is unveiled, boasting two dual core Intel Xeon processors, 1 GB of ram, and a 250 GB hard drive.

  • 2007: Jobs makes the official announcement of the release date of the first iPhone.

  • 2008: The App Store is introduced.

  • 2011: At his last WWDC, Jobs unveils Mac OS X Lion, iOS5, and iCloud.

WWDC 2013 tickets came with a $1,599 price tag and sold out in less than two minutes. I wish I would have moved faster as bought a ticket this year. The geekosphere has been abuzz with rumors of what to expect at this year’s WWDC. The main takeaway is this conference, not surprisingly, will be heavy on the software, light on the hardware–this is a conference for developers, after all. Don’t expect a new iPhone or iPad–Apple hasn’t even unveiled a new iPhone at a WWDC since 2010, and it’s unlikely to change this year.

What to expect at WWDC 2013, in order of most likely to least likely:

  1. iOS 7: A report by 9to5Mac says we should anticipate a UI refresh, more gestures, more sharing tools, and more Yahoo’s content and services.

  2. OS X updates: Also from the 9to5Mac report, there might be updates to OS X that include Siri and Apple Maps integration, improved full screen apps, and new multitasking features.

  3. MacBook updates: There’s talk of new Macs being unveiled, potentially an updated Retina MacBook Pro with Intel’s latest processor called “Haswell”

  4. iRadio: Just in time for WWDC, Apple has finally reached a deal with all three music record labels for its free Internet radio service. This makes it likely that Apple will unveil the service at the conference.

Wildcard

  1. iWatch? Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted at a game-changing wearable device at a conference last month, leading to rumors about a much-anticipated “iWatch.” Though it’s unlikely to be unveiled at this WWDC, some think Apple may at least make an official announcement about it.

In the days leading up to this huge technology conference, everyone likes to think they’ve got the inside scoop on the notoriously secretive Apple. There’s been so much steadfast opinion on exactly what to expect, developers may actually be hoping for a surprise.

Some notable stats about Apple:

  • 275,000 registered iOS developers in the U.S.

  • Nearly 6000 iOS developer jobs available now on job search aggregator Indeed.com

  • $9 billion paid to Apple developers from App Store sales

  • More than 50 billion apps downloaded from the App Store

Disclosure : I own Apple stock.

Ted Murphy
In inspiration

10 Ways to Spark Creativity

Creativity is a mindset, and a way of thinking. It’s not a task. One way to think of creativity is the bringing together of previously unrelated concepts or ideas to create something new. Naturally, like anything else, some people are better at doing this than others. The good news is that there are some things anyone can do to better create an environment that sparks and encourages this mindset. What follows is a list of ten things to try if you find yourself in a creative slump.

Be Quiet. Turn off all distractions. Sometimes total silence can get us in touch with the voice in our head. Listen to it. So many ideas come to people in the shower because there is nothing else to do but think. My sanctuary is a nice long run.

Try Something New. How can you expect to bring together unrelated concepts and ideas if you’re never exposed to any new ones? This is why I love to travel, why I love to tell a waiter to “bring me whatever you want”, and why I am constantly pursing new creative projects. Some experiences I love, some experiences I hate, but all experiences bring me new ideas.

Pick From a Hat. There are authors out there who have admitted to coming up with story ideas by throwing a bunch of words and phrases into a hat, picking out two or three strips of paper, and coming up with a way for them to relate. Even if the idea ends up being stupid, it might lead to another fresh idea. You may want to try Team Storyteller.

Question Everything. Sherlock Holmes is a genius not because of his intelligence but for his ability to notice everyday “elementary” things that others take for granted. The process of discovering an answer, even crazy ones, can lead to profound insights that can give rise to other ideas or methods of doing things.

Soften Your Focus. There’s a video that floats around the internet every so often in which you’re asked to count how many times a basketball is passed between teammates at practice. Meanwhile, a gorilla walks through the scene. Most people miss it, because they’re concentrating on just one thing. Always watch for the gorilla others miss.

Carry a Notebook… Better Yet Get Evernote. Rely less on your memory. Writing down ideas as they come to you, no matter how trivial, gives you material to work with later and frees up your memory for other things.

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Free-write. Sit down and just do something. A lot of time is wasting sitting around waiting for inspiration. Doodle. Once you give yourself permission to do, you can start planting the seeds that can be revised later and grow into something great.

Keep a Dream Journal. Again, another great use of Evernote. Dreams are our subconscious mind literally sorting through ideas and concepts without the interference of our own internal dialog. Writing them down will help you remember more of them, and start giving you insights into how your own thought processes work. Even though most of my dreams are cray cray… every once and awhile there is a gem hidden in there.

Talk to Yourself. Tara (my wife) often catches me talking to myself. While she thinks I have an imaginary friend, it is actually me sorting through my ideas. Talking to yourself allows you to put yourself in the position of someone else. You can play Devil’s advocate to your own ideas. This forces you to come up with explanations and justifications, and to see a problem from another perspective.

Give Yourself Permission to Fail. As a guy who has failed many, many times I can tell you that nothing is perfect the first time. If you have an idea that you know needs more work to be perfect, don’t wait for that to happen on its own. Get your idea out there. You can go back and revisit it whenever you want.

Ted Murphy
In business,

Facebook Bets Big on Hardware

The following is a post I originally wrote for my friends over at Socialfresh as part of there 2013 Social Media Predictions.

While Facebook may be thought of as a “social network” the reality is that this behemoth is aiming to be much, much more. Zuckerburg has been amassing a small army of engineers over the past few years, and now possesses the billions in cash it needs to compete with the biggest tech titans in the space. Facebook has a $50B+ market cap, while frenemy Google has a $200M+ market cap, Microsoft has a $200B+ market cap, and Apple enjoys a $500B+ market cap.

The common difference between Facebook and these leading companies? Hardware.

Software is great – but controlling the entire ecosystem of a hardware platform is where the really big money is.

Everyone Wants Hardware Revenue Like Apple

Microsoft can’t go back with Windows. They will forever be slaves to their hardware partners, while Apple continues to gain desktop market share. However, Microsoft learned their lesson as we saw with Xbox and more recently Surface.

Controlling the entire platform, owning the supply chain and optimizing the user experience is incredibly important. Microsoft needs to be in the hardware game in order to compete with Apple, which is the same reason that Google purchased Motorola.

Microsoft is now mocking Apple with the full set of stores (new Windows Stores), tablets, and soon will likely add their own phones (Windows Phones) and laptops into the mix.

Social Networks Are Fleeting

Let’s face it, social networks are a dime a dozen. Every day a new social network launches trying to one-up Facebook, much like Facebook one-upped MySpace.

Why?

Because two kids in a garage can easily hack together some code, launch it and see what happens for almost zero money.

Someone will eventually get it right and take on Facebook because the barrier to entry is so low. Or Facebook will drown in fragmentation.

Creating a hardware/software ecosystem is something different altogether. It is incredibly resource intensive, requires huge amounts of capital and it is very difficult to get traction.

It is why we haven’t seen a new video game console come to the mass market in so many years. It is just too hard to compete with the existing ecosystems of Xbox, Wii and Playstation. There are many game studios, but there are only three console manufacturers.

Owning Your Own Destiny

To put it in perspective – right now Facebook is merely a game playing on Apple, Google and Microsoft mobile devices. The big boys own the hardware ecosystem and the ultimate interface with the consumer. Facebook’s mobile fate is largely in their hands… much like Zynga’s fate was in Facebook’s hands.

They have to enter the hardware market and create their own ecosystem if they want to fortify their position as the leader in the social space. It is the only way to keep the scrappy little startups from constantly nipping at their heals, or avoid getting crushed by their larger rivals.

My predictions for 2013

1. Facebook Phone

We will surely see the introduction of the Facebook phone in 2013, but it won’t stop there.

2. Facebook TV

The current tech race is for the small screen in our pockets and the big screen in our homes. Television is a social experience by nature and Facebook has a unique opportunity to enhance it. A Facebook set top box would provide an entirely new way for Facebook to generate advertising revenue from brands and distribute social-enabled interactive video.

3. Facebook Payments

Supporting both of these efforts will be the introduction of a Facebook backed competitor to PayPal, Amazon Payments and Square. This new service will have hardware and software components that make it easier for consumers to pay for the items and services they discover through their social graph (and sponsored stories – of course).

It will also allow Facebook to collect incredibly valuable data about user purchases and behavior.

4. Facebook Storefront

The combination of software and propriety hardware in a controlled ecosystem would create a very defensible position for Facebook long term. The more information that Facebook has about you, the more they will be able to charge advertisers and manufacturers to reach you.

Ultimately Facebook will sell products directly to you, utilizing all of the information they have from your social graph and the purchases they process. They will compete directly with Amazon using a social-enabled recommendation engine.

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There is an all out war in Silicon Valley.

The giants all want your eyeballs, your data and the cash in your wallet.

Software will only take Facebook so far.

The question is will Facebook break into the hardware market with a solution as compelling as their current service?

Ted Murphy
In inspiration

Work with Your Hands

There is something magical about creating a physical object with your hands. I love the Interwebs as much as the next guy, but to be honest I feel more fulfilled when I produce a work of art or craft something from raw materials that I can hold and touch.

I have started working on a table for Tara. She wants to be able to look out over the lake when she is working from home. It will also serve as a dinner table for our little family when Zane is old enough to be in a high chair.

I am overbuilding it a bit. It is made of thick cedar lumber and will have a very heavy top. My goal is to make this a keepsake that will be in our family well into the future. I will post pics of the progress as I reach major milestones.

When was the last time you built something with your hands?

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Ted Murphy
In sales & marketing

The Worst Website Ever

I have been in search of the absolute worst website ever made for some time now…. and I have finally found it thanks to Dang. You have got to check out Lingscars.com. I don’t know how someone can even make something like this – I couldn’t replicate it if I tried. It hurts me to look at it. Please make Ling stop.

You have to visit the site for the full effect.. animations and all.

Ted Murphy
In business

The Robot Economy

The robots are coming. I am not talking about Terminators, Voltron, Johnny 5 or even Bender. I have a different definition of what a robot is and how they relate to our economy. My definition : Automated technology that replaces or significantly impacts jobs previously performed by humans. The robots are all around us… and they are coming for your job.

Some of my favorite robots:

  • The printing press – displaced scribes.
  • The inkjet printer – displaced printing press workers.
  • The 3D printer – soon to displace manufacturing jobs.
  • The ATM – displaced bank tellers.
  • Sunpass – displaced toll booth workers.
  • Flobee – displaced barbers (or at least tried to).
  • Netflix – displaced rental store employees.
  • Yelp – displaced the concierge and food critics.
  • eSurance iPhone App – displaced insurance adjustors.
  • Alice.com – displaced big box workers.
  • Animoto.com – displaced video editors

These are all incredible innovations, but one of the most intriguing robots out there is Amazon Mechanical Turk. It is a giant robot that displaces traditional human workers with crowdsourced human robots. It provides automation of workflow and distribution of specialized tasks, allowing companies to easily outsource jobs that would have previously been done by in-house labor. The companies who use Mechanical Turk don’t know who completes the task and they don’t care. It is just inputs and outputs.

This is not the Terminator scenario (yet). For the most part these robots are hardware and software designed to improve the world we live in and make businesses more efficient. But make no mistake – these robots are still deadly. One by one they are displacing jobs and automating tasks. You could be next.

Kill or Be Killed

The robots are constantly evolving. Every business model is a target and every jobs is on the line. You may think you are not at risk because you are an educated professional – you are dead wrong.

  • Ask my lawyer what he thinks about legalzoom.com
  • Ask my doctor what he thinks about webmd.com
  • Ask my designer he thinks about 99designs.
  • Ask my engineers what they think of eLance.
  • Ask a sales person what they think about e-commerce.

Robots and human robots are making things faster, cheeper and in many cases better. They are a huge factor in the global economy and effect hundreds of millions of jobs. They automate processes and replace millions of daily tasks previously performed by humans. They operate 24/7/365. They don’t eat. They don’t sleep. They are a tremendous threat to workers worldwide.

Even Bigger Opportunity

At the same time the robot economy is a huge opportunity. Robots are a product of innovation, which is both a job killer and a job creator. Those that innovate rule the world, those that do not innovate are doomed to be replaced by the robots.The jobs of the future are in robot creation and maintenance. Some might say there is a future in robot sales, but truth be told the best robots sell themselves.

Thriving in the Robot Economy

In order to succeed in the robot economy you require five things:

1. Creativity
This is your number one weapon in the robot economy. While robots can execute the tasks they are given, they don’t posses the creative skills and imagination of humans. People get tired of robots doing the same thing over and over again – they want to see something new. Your big crazy ideas are key… don’t stop dreaming!

2. Elegant Engineering
Most companies engineer for utility – but that is only 1/2 of the equation. Successful robots don’t just complete a task – they complete it with style and elegance. That is why Apple is currently the biggest company in the world. The robots they create are as sexy as they are useful.

 3. Speed
Robots move fast. If you want to surpass the current generation you need to move faster. You need to ideate, iterate and evolve. Remember, whatever robot you are building, someone else is trying to make a better one.
4. Teamwork
Robots are fast because they are able to perform several discreet tasks at the same time with precision. Those that are successful in the robot economy are able to do the same with their human resources.
5. Perseverance
Robots never tire. They complete the same tasks over and over again without compliant. If something fails they will retry to no end. You need the same dedication and perseverance in your own job.

Is this new world scary?

Hell yeah it is! But if you are reading this blog chances are you already know the robots are coming.

We are the visionaries. We destroy the old and create the new.We push the boundaries. We redefine what is possible. We don’t hate robots…. we love them. They touch our lives every day and we welcome the efficiencies they provide.

You have the skillsets you need to thrive in the robot economy… and help others by creating new jobs.

Go forth and create killer robots.

Like this post? Leave a comment : )-

 

Ted Murphy
In business, travel

The ROI of Being Awesome

On Thursday morning I woke up, cracked open my laptop and checked in for my 85th flight on Delta this year. This was no ordinary flight. This flight would put me over 125,000 miles on Delta in 2011 (the earth’s circumference is 24,901 miles) and into the elite Diamond Medallion frequent flyer program.

Hitting Diamond is bitter sweet in many ways. Sure, I should get upgraded on just about every flight I take next year, but it also means that I have spent a lot of time away from my family this year and wayyyyy too much time in a confined space. Perhaps I was slap happy from all the travel… but I decided to poke Delta on Twitter about my “Up in the Air” moment.

To be honest I didn’t expect anything from them. Delta is a great airline, but I wouldn’t exactly call them playful or over the top. My impression has always been that they are very corporate, buttoned up and professional. Their customer service is strong, but their brand personality has always felt bland compared to that of Jetblue or Southwest.

Showing the Love

When I walked up to the gate there seemed to be an awful lot of Delta employees crowded around the desk. The gate attendant came on the loud speaker and announced, “Ladies and gentleman I have a very special announcement. I would like to congratulate Mr. Edward Murphy for making Diamond Medallion status. Mr. Murphy we would like to present you with a token of our appreciation.” Whaaaaaa?!?!

I walked up to the desk and was greeted by a team of Delta employees. They presented me with a framed certificate and a special Delta bag. We took pictures and all of the employees shook my hand. The entire gate area was clapping and shouting. They then provided me with a private escort onto the plane.

Once on the plane (in first class) the passengers were high-fiving me as they passed by. Each flight attendant came by to personally thank me for my business. The pilot came on the PA and congratulated me as well. I was floored. I felt like a rockstar… I was tweeting and texting my friends like crazy.

When I landed I noticed that I had a voicemail from a number I didn’t recognize. I played the message and my jaw dropped. A Delta VP called me while I was in the air apologizing that he couldn’t be at the gate, thanking me for my business and giving me his personal phone number if I should ever need him. Freakin’ awesome.

The ROI of Being Awesome

The total hard cost of everything that Delta did to celebrate my special flight was probably about $50 (for the certificate, frame and bag). All the employees were already at work; so was the person manning their Twitter account. I figure I spend about $30,000 a year on flights and I am now a customer for life. Not a bad return on investment for a little extra effort. Not only did they win me over for life, but my tweets reached my 27k followers and I have a feeling at least some of them will be making a switch soon.

Employees Love to Delight

You could tell from the Delta employees that this is not something that Delta does every day… but they should. The employees were genuinely happy for me and excited to be celebrating the occasion with me. Not only was I thrilled with the experience, they were to. They were proud to be associated with a company that would do something so cool for a customer. Empowering employees to take care of customers truly delights both parties.

What Can Your Company Do?

What Delta did for me didn’t cost a lot of money. It didn’t require months of planning (this all went down in a matter of hours). What it did require was listening to their customers and moving quickly to show they care.

Ted Murphy
In business, life

Shake What Yo Momma Gave Ya

We are all born different. Each of us has a unique mix of attributes that makes us who we are. Some of those attributes are advantages, and some of those are disadvantages. Some we can work on, others are hopeless. I don’t have the engineering prowess to become a rocket scientist. I don’t have the physique to become an olympic athlete. I don’t have the voice to become a rock star… and that is ok. I do have the attributes to become many other things and I leverage them to maximize my success.

Over my years in business I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet many successful people. The one thing that they all have in common is that they know themselves. They know their individual talents and areas of opportunity. They focus their efforts on their strengths and acknowledge their weaknesses. They understand how their personal gifts can best be utilized and surround themselves with others who excel in the areas wherein they are deficient.

I’m No Bean Counter

When I first started down the path of raising money for IZEA I made a mistake. I thought that in order to raise money from Wall Street I had to be like many of the people on Wall Street. I put on my suit, polished my shoes and proceeded to give boring, data-centric presentations. I was deadly serious because I wanted to be taken seriously. I kept to my script because I didn’t want people to feel like I didn’t have the answers to everything.

It felt unnatural to me. I felt like I wasn’t playing off my strengths. It was like getting on stage and singing to a crowd of Grammy winning recording artists. It was the worst possible thing I could have done. They knew I wasn’t me… and so did I.

The best advice I got during my initial fundraising process was to “take advantage of your strengths and be yourself”. My advisors helped me realize that I didn’t need to be a bean counter to be successful in fund raising. “Let your CFO be the CFO. She can deal with the deep dive into numbers. You be the visionary. That is what you are best at.”

I ditched the suit for jeans and cowboy boots, put on my smile and haven’t looked back since.

What Are Your Gifts?

It is easy to look past the gifts we have been blessed with because they are naturally a part of us. Sometimes we even hide these gifts because we think our audience wants something else. Your areas of intellectual acuity, your artistic abilities, your personality, sense of humor and even your looks can all be used to your advantage. Don’t let these things go to waste, and don’t downplay them because they are innate to you.

Take every advantage of them, they are your competitive edge.

Ted Murphy
In inspiration, politics

#startupwallstreet

The irony of the #occupywallstreet movement against “corporate greed” spreading across the country amazes me.

There are now thousands of people gathered together using their iPhones (APPL) to upload videos to YouTube (GOOG) on AT&T (ATT) and Verizon (VZ) networks, sipping Starbucks (SBUX) and taking bathroom breaks at McDonalds (MCD). They are dressed in clothes from GAP (GPS) and American Eagle (AEO), writing on paper signs from International Paper (IP) with markers and pens manufactured by BIC (BIC). People are demonstrating against the very companies that they depend on every day to provide them everything from food and clothing to communication and entertainment.

The idea of corporate greed is altogether wrong.

Corporations don’t have desires, people do. People are greedy. People want more. They want more service from companies for less money. They want higher paying jobs. They want cars and homes they can’t afford. They want a better lifestyle for themselves and their family. They want it not because they have earned it or because it makes fiscal sense, but because they feel they deserve it. Entitlement spans the entire gamut of society from the rich to the poor.

This is the real greed that is ruining our country.

We need to look no further than our government to see the collective greed of the people. We are $14.8 trillion dollars in debt and have an annual budget deficit of $1.3 Trillion. The government is hemorrhaging money and we continue to increase the debt ceiling to fuel the unrealistic demands of the general public. We all want more… we push our politicians to get more… and we are drowning in debt as a result.

We are in this situation because most of our politicians don’t have the strength to say, “NO”. Our system rewards the short term “YES” despite the consequences and long term fiscal health of our country. Democrat or Republican, it doesn’t matter. Politicians get reelected on platforms of increased allocations, not cuts…tax reductions, not revenue generation.

The exact opposite is true in the corporate world. CEOs are selected and rewarded based on their ability to grow the top line, manage the bottom line and make the hard cuts when needed. Most major public corporations are profitable. It is not because they are greedy, it is because they are fiscally responsible and have a duty to their shareholders. I am not going to say that their aren’t issues with corporate governance, but I wish our government was managed more like a corporation.

Every CEO would love to pay their employees more, offer more benefits, increase dividends, upgrade infrastructure and make huge investments in the future. The reality is that there is only so much money to go around and they can’t do it all. CEOs can’t print more money… but the government can and does because of us… because of the peoples greed.

Corporations are not our problem. We are our problem.

Redirect the Energy

The energy of this movement is exciting and intense; I just feel it is wasted and misguided. I believe unemployment is at the heart of the unrest, causing people to point fingers and look for a scapegoat. Protesting about corporate greed doesn’t create more jobs. If anything it freaks investors out, drives the markets down and devalues the very corporations that could be hiring. If the organizers of the movement really want to have an impact they should change the message to be one of job creation and entrepreneurism.

#startupwallstreet

What if those thousands of people came together to create startups instead of protesting? What if we were able to harness all that negative energy, hate and resentment to turn the world into a better place? What if those gatherings created hundreds of new companies, with new lives and futures for people who are currently unemployed? What if the organizers actually welcomed corporations to sponsor the movement and provide seed capital to the new startups?

Instead of #occupywallstreet how about #startupwallstreet?

I believe that there are positive ways to approach any problem. America was built on optimism and capitalism, let’s not sit around complaining about corporations keeping us down… lets go out there and create a the next generation of corporations.

We need corporations, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change the way they are run. If you think you can do it better go out there and start your own!