Innovation is a Wacky Business

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    Wacky event, the AlwaysOn Network AO2005 Innovation Summit. During the hour-long opening reception tonight, I met a venture capitalist who said it’s not true that VCs mandate an “India strategy” for tech start-ups seeking funding. I met the head of a Silicon Valley bank (“fastest growth of any bank anywhere in the country…”) who said he’d just returned from China — “part business, part pleasure” — to meet with one of his funders, who’s apparently based there. I met an individual involved with a Boston-based start-up who said globalization is making for weird bedfellows and who agreed with the COO of a China service provider when he said United is the best airline to fly to Beijing and Shanghai (and who recommended against Air China, which, he said is the second worst airline in the world in terms of a safety record).

    From there, I entered the hall for a keynote panel featuring Sandy Berger, former White House National Security Advisor; Jerry Brown, ex-governor of California and current mayor Oakland, CA; Michael Medved, conservative radio talk show host; and Tony Perkins, founder and editor of AlwaysOn.

    What was odd about that experience was the fact that while this distinguished panel tackled hard questions (like what to expect of President Bush’s newly named nominee for the Supreme Court), the audience was able to read on a giant monitor what the online audience was chatting about, which was, to be honest, as mundane as most online chats about nothing in particular tend to be. I was in the front row, but I could hear odd chortling every few minutes, because somebody behind me found something on the chat screen entertaining. Every now and then an online participant would shout (in all caps), “CHANGE THE F*****G SUBJECT!” or some such, and Tony would notice it and — voila! — change the subject.

    I felt like I was watching the parliament in Italy debate some topic, with vegetables flying and speakers being heckled and interrupted.

    On the same screen was a poll rating for “whose views in this panel are most persuasive?” It started with Mr. Berger having no persuasion whatsoever, but eventually, the rankings pretty much evened out. Though it did seem that with each comment made by one or another speaker, his popularity would go up — to a point. If he spoke too long — say, beyond 90 seconds — the number would start to slide.

    Tomorrow, a panel on China, led by David Scott Lewis. Should be just as entertaining.