This case is accompanied by a Video Short that can be exposed in class or incorporated in a digital coursepack. Teachers should judge the timing of assembling the video available to students, as it may reveal vital case particulars. For numerous months, founder-CEO Evan Williams has felt spellbound, incapable to command Odeo and its strategic direction.
He longs for the "easy" days of Blogger, the previous enterprise he had co-founded. Although his Blogger expertises had comprised a major blow-up with his cofounder that had led to legal proceedings, a brush with near-bankruptcy, and the laying off of his whole group, Williams has turned even more disheartened with his present venture, Odeo.
Odeo, a podcasting leader, had debuted almost two years before and had gotten off to a very powerful beginning, with a high-profile debut at a prominent business convention, coverage on the front page of the New York Times' commerce segment, and the raise of a big round of funding from a top-tier venture capital firm. His efforts to find an acquirer have failed, layoffs have started, and he is currently faced up with a meeting with an increasingly aggressive board of directors. At that gathering, he is very attracted to step down so he can move on to his next job and recover the thrill of being an entrepreneur.
PUBLICATION DATE: December 07, 2008 PRODUCT #: 809088-HCB-ENG
This is just an excerpt. This case is about INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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