Cloud computing eliminates capital expenditure, so you can go global very quickly - you don't have to have extensive servers in every country.
All American consumers have the same needs - to buy great consumer products, with savings and value, and with the convenience of easy delivery.
I didn't understand the culture and what Starbucks was really about. It wasn't a coffee shop. It was really a way of life... we suffer from thinking that since we have it in New York, or it won't work in New York, that it won't work some other place. That's a discipline we keep trying to improve.
I got my first job the old-fashioned way: I took an elevator to the top floor of many buildings and walked down floor by floor on the stairs going into every firm and asking the receptionist if she knew of any jobs available.
Your initial instincts about investments and people are usually correct. We do a lot of due diligence in this business and most of the time it comes out where we started.
As a venture capitalist, I invest in people and ideas that are fresh, vibrant, and willing to disrupt the market. As a political donor, I like to see the same energy in the people I support.
In my 40-plus years as a venture capitalist, I have come to appreciate the certainty a healthy economy provides for businesses both large and small.
Our national debt poses a threat to all Americans and is particularly troublesome both for well-established businesses and for those seeking to enter into the marketplace.
As someone who understands what's needed for entrepreneurs and start-up companies to succeed, I can tell you there is nothing more integral to their success than operating in a stable financial system.
Like many of my friends and associates, I am a life-long Democrat. We have a rock-solid commitment to supporting the political party that we so strongly believe offers the most promising vision of America: one that recognizes the proper role of government, the importance of compassion, and the value of diversity.
It's actually a pretty basic concept: when businesses feel secure and confident, they are more likely to grow, hire, and invest. Conversely, when the economy is unstable, businesses often become much more risk averse, and in many cases, they're forced to make undesirable cuts that affect their bottom line.
The Enterprise Value Tax is unprecedented, punitive, and has no justification in the tax code.
I think CSR, corporate social responsibility, is something that is becoming front and center.