4 ms·

Or of course, things could take an altogether different turn. I remember when GPS was introduced in 96 for civilians and no one could have predicted Uber at tha

Or of course, things could take an altogether different turn. I remember when GPS was introduced in 96 for civilians and no one could have predicted Uber at that time, though all the pieces were there. BE does a great job of synthesizing possible directions from what's available to him in albeit a really good position at a16z. However, there are many people out there quietly building technology that changes the game completely. Making affordable graphene is one such unknown at this point.

mathattack 9y ago
He's great, and I appreciate his 10 year view.
protomyth 9y ago
Another example of having the technology in front of you and not predicting its use is the Apple videos under Sculley. I remember one (cannot find now) that had a man scan in a newspaper into his tablet to help him learn how to read. GPS for civilians actually predates the 1996 directive http://www.pcworld.com/article/2000276/a-brief-history-of-gps.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/2000276/a-brief-history-of-gp...
icebraining 9y ago
On the other hand, in 2001 (eight years before Uber): Basically WebTaxi works well with people having wireless web access from PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). Imagine a scenario where you are sitting in a restaurant and you need a Taxi service. You go to the WebTaxi website and request a Taxi to your home. WebTaxi comes back and tells you exactly how much it will cost you. It can even tell you how long you will have to wait for the taxi. You continue to chat while you wait for the taxi to show up. As soon as the taxi arrives, your PDA informs you that the taxi is waiting for you! https://web.archive.org/web/20010127103500/http://www.eventhelix.com:80/ThoughtProjects/WebTaxi/WebTaxiIntroduction.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20010127103500/http://www.eventh...
- guimarin 9y ago
  good argument that all internet businesses were invented in the late 90s bubble. nearly all were too early.

mathattack 9y ago

He's great, and I appreciate his 10 year view.

protomyth 9y ago

Another example of having the technology in front of you and not predicting its use is the Apple videos under Sculley. I remember one (cannot find now) that had a man scan in a newspaper into his tablet to help him learn how to read. GPS for civilians actually predates the 1996 directive http://www.pcworld.com/article/2000276/a-brief-history-of-gps.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/2000276/a-brief-history-of-gp...

icebraining 9y ago

On the other hand, in 2001 (eight years before Uber): Basically WebTaxi works well with people having wireless web access from PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). Imagine a scenario where you are sitting in a restaurant and you need a Taxi service. You go to the WebTaxi website and request a Taxi to your home. WebTaxi comes back and tells you exactly how much it will cost you. It can even tell you how long you will have to wait for the taxi. You continue to chat while you wait for the taxi to show up. As soon as the taxi arrives, your PDA informs you that the taxi is waiting for you! https://web.archive.org/web/20010127103500/http://www.eventhelix.com:80/ThoughtProjects/WebTaxi/WebTaxiIntroduction.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20010127103500/http://www.eventh...

guimarin 9y ago
good argument that all internet businesses were invented in the late 90s bubble. nearly all were too early.