TEDxHanRiver – “Failing to Succeed”

My TEDxHanRiver 2011 talk on “Failing to Succeed”

US Entrepreneurs are Chickens, Korean Entrepreneurs are Pigs

A Chicken and Pig are making breakfast together. The Chicken lays eggs and makes fried eggs. The pig cuts its belly and makes bacon.

The question is, who’s more committed to making breakfast?

Some might say that the Chicken is more committed because it’s contributing its future generation. Others might say that the pig is more committed because it’s contributing its own body. On other hand, a chicken can always lay more eggs. The pig also has a pretty big belly. The argument can go both ways and it’s an interesting way to discover and discuss people’s values.

The story can also be used to illustrate the differences between US and Korea Entrepreneurs.

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The Six D’s of Internet Ecosystems

Like all living things, companies thrive and prosper when they’re part of a diverse ecosystem that provides the right infrastructure for sustained growth and development.

Internet and software ecosystems are interesting because they are usually formed around the initial success of a single company that emerges from a highly competitive environment. If this company can nurture and grow this initial ecosystem, they enjoy a significant competitive advantage that eventually leads to market domination.

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Why companies fail in international markets

The recent fire sale of Helio by SK Telecom to Virgin Mobile for $39M has made me reflect on Korean technology companies in the United States.

Korea is one of the most advanced countries when it comes to technology, but on the international stage, most Korean technology companies are still struggling to expand beyond hardware. Everyone knows Samsung and their prowess in hardware manufacturing but there are no successful global Korean software/technology services companies.

The irony is that within Korea, software and technology services companies like SK Telecom, NHN, and NCSoft are actually very innovative companies that dominate the local market. These companies are all highly profitable and they’re well managed companies that have emerged as leaders in a highly competitive local market. They also have the cash flow and resources to invest in international expansion.

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My 3 Minutes of Fame on Fox Business Network

Here’s my 3 minute interview on Fox Business Network regarding Askpedia and the cease and desist from IAC.

Askpedia passes 100,000 registered users

It has been a while since I posted on this blog. The primary reason is because most of my time has been consumed by Askpedia.

The hard work is starting to pay off. Askpedia recently crosses 100,000 registered users. It’s an important milestone for us and things are looking good all around.

We also launched an Askpedia Facebook application which is also doing pretty well. Developing a Facebook application has been an interesting experience and it’s something I’ll have to write about in a future blog post.

However, there is this minor issue of a cease and desist from Ask.com around our name. It’s a pretty weak case but it is something that we have to work through with our lawyers.

Life can’t be perfect…

Askpedia is in Open Beta

After Alpha and Private Testing for a few months, I’m excited to announce that Askpedia.com is now in Open Beta.

Basically, this means that anybody can access the sign and ask/answer questions. All of the site functionality, including payments for questions and answers is working.

We already have a pretty vibrant community with close to 900 questions. Almost half of these questions are still open, so please go visit the sign and start asking/answering questions!