Somewhat obscured by the merger talks between Amazon.com and Walmart.com are rumors that Walmart.com CEO Jeanne Jackson is leaving.
Jackson, who jointed Walmart.com in a flurry of publicity -- she was one of Business Week's "Ebiz 25" in May 2000 -- might be going back to her old stomping grounds at the Gap, according to a competitor who has been trying to recruit people away from Walmart.com.
If true, it would underscore the new gospel of retailing: Online selling is hard, no matter where.
Jim Breyer, a venture capitalist at Accel Partners, which has invested in Walmart.com, dismissed the rumors about Jackson's departure. "Jeanne is not going anywhere," he said. "She's doing a great job."
But there is a style issue here. Jackson, who ran Banana Republic -- the studied cool silk 'n' khaki stores -- has the sort of retailing skills that Walmart, on or offline, doesn't seem interested in using. "Brand life-style retailing is really a lot different from saying ... 'Portable MP3 players are going to be big, let's get deep into that,'" the competitor said. "Banana Republic is all about touchy-feely, 'Make me feel good.' Walmart is, 'Did I pay too much for that?'"
The retailer suggested that Jackson -- who had control of almost all aspects of Banana Republic's operation, from clothing design to advertising and store sites -- wasn't having much of an impact at Walmart.com. With the possibility of Walmart.com going public diminishing, her interest also might have waned, the source said.
Of course, the Amazon-Walmart rumors add credibility to the talk about Jackson. If that deal does go through and the two sites combine in some way, Jackson's retailing experience might not be as vital to Walmart.com.
Redmond's read-a-thon: OK, so Microsoft is myopic, narrow-minded and can't see beyond its borders.
Linda Stone, head of "corporate and industry initiatives" for the software giant -- which makes her a sort of unofficial ambassador to Silicon Valley, where she once worked -- plans to change that.
How? By making 'em read.
Stone, a girl geek with a sly sense of humor and a rich laugh, has been holding regular book-signing events at Microsoft campuses in Redmond and Silicon Valley. So far, the short list of author appearances consists of people she finds interesting and includes Crypto author Stephen Levy and Michael Dertouzos, MIT professor and author of Unfinished Revolution.
This month, Rosabeth Moss Kanter is scheduled to talk to Microsofties about culture, and Dean Kamen, the scientist best known for the mysterious invention "Ginger," will discuss innovation.
Stone didn't want to talk about her afternoon soirees, but she has told friends at the company that the gatherings are an attempt to broaden thinking within the company by getting employees to read something besides tech manuals.
"It's a way to get involved in the community," one friend quoted her as saying.
"One of the really nice things about Microsoft culture is that it's intellectually curious," Stone has said. "It's people who read."
Small steps. Long journey. We'll know Stone has succeeded when she invites Ken Auletta, author of World War 3.0: Microsoft and Its Enemies for a visit, won't we?
Clinton's India ties: They may curse him in the U.S. Senate, sneer at him in New York and revile him in Washington, but to Indians -- here and on the subcontinent -- former President Bill Clinton remains enormously popular.
Clinton's March 2000 visit to India -- the first by a U.S. presidential visit in 22 years -- was an important official link in the increasingly close ties between the two countries. "Indians kind of respect leaders like Bill Clinton who basically make the effort," said Raj Desai, executive director of The Indus Fund, a group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.
So it's no surprise that Clinton was among the headliners at a Silicon Valley fundraiser to help the millions injured, left homeless or orphaned by the Gujarat earthquake that struck in late January. The concert, sponsored by the nonprofit TiE, raised more than $2 million from an audience of 2,800 people, all part of an attempt to raise $25 million to help earthquake victims.
With one of the largest and wealthiest Indian populations in the United States, Northern California's Indian population -- estimated at 150,000 and growing -- is well equipped to help out. Some $10 million in medical supplies has already been shipped to India, according to Desai. And there's more to come as Clinton is scheduled to go back to India in April with a TiE delegation.
Chris Nolan chronicles the goings on in Silicon Valley and beyond every Thursday in Wired News.
