All posts by Paul Young

Ubuntu cutting service to focus on OS development

Do Less, Not More

Ubuntu, one of the most widely used Linux distributions, just announced that it is halting its cloud storage service so it can focus on its desktop and mobile operating systems:

Shutting down Ubuntu One file services

This sounds like a good example of a company trying to focus on a core product rather than be bogged down trying to compete in another arena. A few key quotes:

Today we are announcing plans to shut down the Ubuntu One file services.  This is a tough decision, particularly when our users rely so heavily on the functionality that Ubuntu One provides.  However, like any company, we want to focus our efforts on our most important strategic initiatives and ensure we are not spread too thin.

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Additionally, the free storage wars aren’t a sustainable place for us to be, particularly with other services now regularly offering 25GB-50GB free storage.  If we offer a service, we want it to compete on a global scale, and for Ubuntu One to continue to do that would require more investment than we are willing to make.

 

 

 

The Affordable Care Act: Build, fight, and… keep fighting

Dream Bigger

During the discussion on constructive fighting last class an example that popped into my mind is the ongoing fight over the Affordable Care Act as an example of things going wrong. Since it was enacted the law has been fought with many attempts to repeal it or defund it in congress, and attempts by some states to keep it form being implemented well. The latest example of this is laws being enacted to prevent prevent non-profit groups from spreading information about the law.

The ongoing fights result from the way Congress is built. Regular elections mean that even after a law is passed a party that opposed it has an interest in making it fail to prove they were right. This means that if the ACA turns out to be a failure it will be unclear if it failed because it is a bad law or because of all the effort that has gone into undermining it.

Obviously, these issues come at least in part from democracy, which has many other benefits. But it’s an interesting case in how the structure of an organization can create ongoing conflict and prevent ideas from being implemented as effectively as possible. How can an organization prevent proponents of competing ideas undermine ideas as they’re implemented? At Reckitt Benckiser they did not tolerate questioning a decision after the fact and created a culture of uniting after the fight.