More from the Author

• Case | HBS Case Collection | March 2020

  Aereo

  Thomas R. Eisenmann and Jacey Taft

  Aereo aimed to disrupt television program distribution by providing consumers access to local broadcast TV programming using offsite antennas, cloud-based DVRs, and an Internet connection. With Aereo, consumers could “cut the cord” and avoid the high cost of a cable TV subscription. Soon after launching service in NYC in 2012, Aereo was sued by broadcasters, who asserted that the startup was distributing their programs without permission — and without paying retransmission fees. After Federal District and Appeals Court victories for Aereo, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the startup in 2013, and it was shut down, after investing $97 million. The case looks at Aereo's journey and offers reflections from founder/CEO Chet Kanojia.

  Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Failure; Lawsuits and Litigation; Internet; Media; United States;

  Citation:

  Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Jacey Taft. "Aereo." Harvard Business School Case 820-043, March 2020.  View Details

  CiteView DetailsEducators

  Related

• Case | HBS Case Collection | April 2019 (Revised February 2020)

  Ripple: The Business of Crypto

  David B. Yoffie and George Gonzalez

  The case explores Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s mission to disrupt the global payments industry by leveraging the cryptocurrency XRP. Students will learn about Bitcoin and the blockchain industry, as well as Ripple’s unique crypto business model. The case provides an opportunity to navigate the areas of distributed technology, platforms, regulation, and global payments, from the perspective of a San Francisco software startup with over $20 billion in digital assets.

  Keywords: payment systems; cryptocurrency; Bitcoin; Blockchain; fintech; Business Startups; Business Model; Disruption; Strategy;

  Citation:

  Yoffie, David B., and George Gonzalez. "Ripple: The Business of Crypto." Harvard Business School Case 719-506, April 2019. (Revised February 2020.)  View Details

  CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase

  Related

• Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2020

  Lunchclub: Algorithmic Networking

  Scott Duke Kominers and George Gonzalez

  Algorithmic networking startup Lunchclub coordinates in-person meetings between professionals who would have been unlikely to meet. The company faces marketplace design, growth, and monetization challenges: The executive team has to refine Lunchclub's marketplace strategy, and determine whether the company should continue to focus on its current use cases and geographical hubs or expand the platform's scale and scope. And while Lunchclub unlocks significant value by brokering new connections, the team still has to identify whom to charge and how.

  Keywords: monetization strategy; Business Startups; Marketplace Matching; Market Design; Growth and Development Strategy; Information Industry;

  Citation:

  Kominers, Scott Duke, and George Gonzalez. "Lunchclub: Algorithmic Networking." Harvard Business School Case 820-051, January 2020.  View Details

  CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase

  Related