Technology doesn't change the rules (Score 1)

Articles like this are more an artifact of savvy PR by Google and Applet than they are a material fact. Technology changes the balance of power, but has no effect on the rules of business. This is like saying that a better running shoe changes the rules of the 100M dash. Business means being profitable, and Welch understands that. The "old" rules talk about that. The "new" rules are mostly a different way of looking at the old rules and no one has proven that the "new" rules are sustainable. Apple is not a great example of profitablility or marketshare and Google is worse. Google has espoused lots of theories about how to build a great company, but has yet to prove that it has built a great company. Many of you will ramble on about how good people make a good company, how the customer comes first, and all that jazz, and you're right, albeit indirectly. These all support profitability. If your customers are mad, you can win them back or get new ones. If your shareholders are mad they can sell your shares, depress your stock price, and take legal action against you to have your leadership changed. Companies that embrace technology take money away from those who don't. But the rules of the race are the same: if you are making the most money, you're winning...for now.