From a New Yorker Peter Thiel puff-piece to make any PR agent proud:
Peter Thiel pulled an iPhone out of his jeans pocket and held it up. “I don’t consider this to be a technological breakthrough,” he said. “Compare this with the Apollo space program.”
Easy enough to say for someone who came up with neither and enjoys the benefit of twenty-twenty hindsight.
Even if we forgive the self-serving naivete, it is impossible to grasp why Mr. Thiel is pushing a flawed thesis. He should be rooting for technological breakthroughs that improve the human condition. He should not be rooting for endeavours that consume the best minds of a generation in meaningless technological pursuits which do nothing to improve the human condition.
What has been the great hallmark of betterment which we can thank the Apollo space program for? Most aspects of the Apollo space program are rooted in the brinkmanship of the US-Russia cold war. How getting a man into space or onto the lunar surface has improved the condition of earthlings is a non-consequence to Mr. Thiel; what matters most to him is that it is a “technological breakthrough”. Compare that with the iPhone and its negligible impact on the real world and those of us that live here.
We all use and thank the Apollo space program every day for making our lives better. Has the iPhone done more to create wealth, jobs and improvement of the human condition? No contest there.
Is this your personal blog or company’s? Why not create a separate domain in your name or something personal rather than dilute the company name with all these? I’m sure you would’ve higher brand equity than Cleartrip to sustain your personal blog on its own merit.
@Cleartrip hate to admit it but i fell for that puff piece. did you read the one on thiel in slate? http://t.co/apk9N7at
@anirban : I wouldn’t be reading the cleartrip blog if it was just about cleartrip, the company. I don’t think the views of the people behind the company dilute its brand equity – imo, they’re adding to it. Been a fan of this blog since it began, and I like it the way it is.
Nikhil, I’m afraid I’m with Anirban here. If I see a header that says “Cleartrip Blog”, I expect it to be something about the business model. A disclaimer is the least I would expect for something completely disconnected.
This is not to say that the blog post makes much sense, it is devoid of any explanation and any informed comment; more like a living room rant than something reasoned and thought-out.
@Nikhil – Don’t get me wrong. I’m perfectly fine with opinions. As a matter of fact, I quite enjoy it at times. All I’m saying is, it might be important to delineate when the person is representing Cleartrip vis-a-vis being himself. It’s like merging any popular blog (not this one’s or not) with Cleartrip. The blog on its own merit might be good but doesn’t mix well with the overall organization. One more thing is that I’ve noticed the overall tone of the blog to be negative/cynical. In mild doses it’s fine but it tends to overdo it. Cleartrip is a brand I love and wouldn’t want to be biased by an overtly negative tone of the blog which gives more of an individual’s POV rather than the individual representing the organisation. Get the drift?