Intellectual Property Law

The New Micro-Multinationals

By Harry Boadwee

A new breed of "micro-multinational" is emerging among the many Web 2.0 social networking startups, as described by The San Jose Mercury News.  A micro-multinational is "a small company that acts big by skillfully using the Internet and other technologies". 

Those organizations use technologies such as Skype, video conferencing, instant messaging and viral marketing to reach customers and collaborators globally.

The article discusses RockYou, a 14-employee startup that has subcontracted to engineers in China, India, Japan and Romania and partnered with Gizmoz, an Israel-based maker of online avatars.  It mentions that over 20% of the 50 employees at Slide, a leading widget maker, are foreign nationals, including engineers from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Source: Rise of the Micro Giants, by Scott Duke Harris, San Jose Mercury News, July 14, 2007.

Full post as published by AS-IS Blog on July 16, 2007 (boomark / email).