The standard BD hiring playbook — look for someone with a strong close rate, a big network, and a track record of hitting quota — works reasonably well in markets where the product is understood, the category is established, and the buyer already knows what they’re buying. It fails almost completely in technical hardware and […]
The Difference Between Managing and Leading in Technical Environments
There’s a version of executive leadership that works fine in most industries but falls apart the moment you’re in a room full of engineers. It relies on authority, on title, on the assumption that the person at the top of the org chart is also the most qualified person to make decisions. In technical environments, […]
How to Lead a Team Through a Major Technology Transition
Launching new technology is hard enough when the market is ready for it. When it isn’t — when you’re selling something buyers haven’t asked for yet, in a category that doesn’t quite exist yet, on a timeline that keeps shifting — the internal leadership challenge becomes just as difficult as the external one. Every company […]
Computex 2026 Just Showed Us Where Wireless IoT Is Actually Heading
For years, the IoT conversation has centered on one question: can we get this device connected? Computex 2026, which wrapped up June 5 in Taipei, made clear that question has been answered. The new one is harder and more interesting: can connected devices think, decide, and act on their own — without draining power or […]
OpenAI’s $122 Billion Round, And What It Means for Everyone Else
On March 31, 2026, OpenAI closed the largest private funding round in history — $122 billion at an $852 billion valuation. Amazon led with $50 billion. Nvidia and SoftBank each put in $30 billion. Microsoft participated too. The headline is staggering, but the more important question for startup founders and BD leaders isn’t how OpenAI […]