The Difference Engine | B2B Category Design | Private Equity | Venture Capital

In this episode of The Difference Engine, we sit down with a major figure in the global software industry - Phill Robinson. With a career spanning multiple continents and as the CEO of Velocix, IRIS, and Exact, Phil's contributions to the tech world has been monumental.  Today, he’ll share what he learnt from working in the heart of industry giants including Oracle, Sybase, Siebel, and Salesf...

We like Elon Musk's style. In previous episodes, we’ve championed him as a visionary innovator and category king. One of the things we’ve always admired is his bold approach to business. But, his recent posts on X seem less bold, and more barmy. Is Musk’s free speech starting to backfire? Will he be the engineer of his own downfall?  Also in today’s episode, We’ll be looking at the love affai...

If you’re a regular listener of the show then you’ll know that we’re always banging on about two things: European category leaders and AI. Well, while sniffing around this year's SaaStr event, our dreams came true. We think we found a potential AI category leader based in Cologne, Germany. Could Jaroslaw Kutylowski’s translation service, DeepL, be the golden goose? Also in today’s episode, We’ll t...

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi. Three of the greats, and sometimes under-rated manufacturers of automobile. From Honda’s engines revolutionising motorsport to Nissan making the iconic British Austin 7 cars under license, they’ve got a rich history. But where will the future take them? How will their new joint research venture create fundamental software for the next generation of SDVs?  It’s cl...

In the last episode, we began our exploration of the greatest tech acquisitions of all time, concluding with Booking.com at number six. Their purchase of Priceline returned an impressive $46.6 billion. Now, we move into the top five. These acquisitions dwarf what has come before, each one generating returns of over $100 billion. So, who is going to be number one? (It’s probably not who you think.)...

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Every workday is just a collection of decisions. Who to hire, when to sell, what shirt goes with this tie. We take a punt and hope it pays off. But what about the decisions with the biggest payoffs? What are the best business decisions of all time? In today’s episode we uncover the stories behind the greatest tech acquisitions ever. Were category leaders created or...

Last month the start-up news publication Sifted introduced us to Europe's fastest growing fintechs. The 10 listed companies are successfully bucking the trend and managing to raise capital in these difficult times. Congratulations to them. However, today on the Difference Engine, we take it one step further. We find out which of these fintechs are not just better, but different. Do any have a shot...

In this episode of The Difference Engine, we sit down with a pivotal figure in the tech world who helped shape one of the most iconic brands in history. Apple. Andy Cunningham had a seat at the table for one of the most exciting periods in the tech industry’s history. The birth of Silicon Valley, The emergence of the groundbreaking Macintosh in 1984 and the rise, fall and rise again of Steve Jobs....

Jason Lemkin is not afraid to admit to his errors. In fact, a few weeks ago he eagerly shared them with a room full of people in East London. The founder of SaaStr revealed his top 10 go-to-market mistakes at this year’s SaaStr conference. So, who should you avoid hiring? Which cuts should you steer clear of? And what single word on someone's LinkedIn profile should raise a red flag? In addition,...

All eyes will be on Paris next month as they welcome athletes and fans from all over the world for the 2024 Olympic Games. However, the international sports day isn’t the only event drawing significant foreign investment into France. The 7th Choose France showcase announced €15 billion of industry investments, promising an estimated 10,000 jobs. Could this influx of capital be the driving force be...

We are living in the age of regulation. Going forward, category creators will have to dance to the tune of the CRA, NIRS2, GDPR and numerous other weighty rulebooks. But, can we learn to love the music? Embrace the constraints? Turn the rules to our advantage and waltz our way to success. Also in today’s episode, We’ll analyse the emergence of `Storytelling` as, apparently, a new tech marketing di...

Electric vehicles are expected to make up 25% of all new passenger car registrations this year, with projections indicating that by 2030, EVs will capture two thirds of the market share. As consumer choices change, so does the whole transport ecosystem. This technological shift demands new fueling stations, tyres, job roles and even road design.  So, are electric vehicles just an automotive u...

 “I wish upon you ample doses of pain and suffering” These are the encouraging words of Nvidia founder Jensen Huang. For Jensen, suffering is the whetstone on which one sharpens their character. It is the shaper of greatness. But, what about the lucky ones? The painless people whose lives have avoided such sore turns. Can they achieve such heights? One of the UK’s greatest entrepreneurs, James Dy...

Throughout this series, we have been surveying the battlefield of the AI war. From an elevated outpost, we have analysed and reported on the tactical moves of both Microsoft and Google. Data centres, acquisitions, and an arms race of innovation have all weaponised in their attempts to wrestle control of tech’s future.  But who just won the latest battle?  As Winston Churchill said "Now t...

In this episode of The Difference Engine we talk to a captain at the helm of the category ship.  Vincent Peters brings a wealth of experience to the table, having held prominent leadership positions at renowned companies such as TIBCO, Qlik, Siebel Systems, and Oracle. Not only has he navigated the global landscape of tech leadership, but he's also delved into entrepreneurship, co-founding C...

Throughout history, certain inventions have reorganised the world. From the printing press to the steam engine, these technologies have triggered paradigm shifts that alter the fundamental structure of societies. Anuj Nayar believes that we are right at the beginning of another global transformation. One that will recategorise every industry in the world. Anuj Nayar has over twenty-five years of g...

Let’s play a game of spot the Difference.  In episode 10 we sang the category praises of Microsoft after learning about their £2.5 billion data centre building project in West London. Now, we’re turning our attention to Google. They have announced a similarly large data centre project on a 33 acre site just north of London. However, our praise for Google is much less forthcoming. Instead, the...

‘The UK’s biggest miscarridge of justice’. This is what the The Criminal Cases Review Commission called the Post Office Horizon scandal. But who is to blame? Is it Fujitsu’s fault? Or do the rotten roots of run deeper? In this episode we look into the distribution of UK tech contracts and the consequences sector stragulation.  We also look into our crystal ball to predict Google’s massive cat...

‘If you haven’t got an AI component in your offer, we ain’t gonna fund you’.  This is what we heard at the most recent Saastr conference. AI is undoubtedly the new hot ticket with 83% of company executives claiming that AI is a strategic priority for their business. So is it; go AI or go home?  In today’s episode, we’re going to take a look at how you should (and shouldn’t) use AI. We’ll...

Pat Morrissey has been at the epicentre of category creation throughout his career. His impressive curriculum includes industry heavyweights Salesforce, Simpplr and Business Objects. Currently, he is the Chief Customer Office at Hirevue, a game changing AI hiring platform that owns the category of Human Potential Intelligence. Over 1,150 companies are currently using Hirevue’s game-changing platfo...

Why did Starling Bank decide to switch its concentration from consumer banking to B2B? We talk about the bold choices that led to this change and the comparable action taken by industry titans Ocado. If you want to play with the big boys you need to be able to adapt. Just look at Starling bank. CEO Anne Boden is overseeing their pivot from from B2C to B2B. So what are the bold choices that led to...

‘Europeans can’t do category design.’ We hear this a lot, particularly from our friends across the pond. However, the company behind London’s record breaking $11 billion IPO might disagree. Wise (formerly known as TransferWise) has successfully built and dominated a category within the retail banking space. And, they’re from the UK. So what’s their secret? Why has Wise succeeded where so many othe...

 WeWork founder Adam Neumann was never short of ambition. He set his sights on becoming the world’s first trillionaire and expanding his desk rental business to Mars. However, earlier this month Adam came crashing back down to Earth. Nearly $40 billion of value floated away into the stratosphere as WeWork entered chapter 11. So what was behind WeWork’s spectacular meltdown? In today’s episode, we...

I reckon you’re using some of ARM’s technology right now. Their designs are found in 95% of the world's smartphones including Apple, Android and Samsung. But it doesn’t stop there. If you’re in an electric car, using your passport, or even walking under a streetlight you’re likely benefitting from ARM’s product - a best in class semiconductor chip. To put it frankly, ARM is everywhere. And now the...

Welcome aboard project HS2. Calling at broken promises, lost billions and total political turmoil. Ever since its announcement in 2009 HS2 has been pummeled by a litany of set backs, protests and management disasters. The knockout blow came in July of this year when the government’s infrastructure watchdog labelled HS2 “unachievable” citing “major issues with project definition”. So was HS2 doomed...