Eric Jackson on Outlook for Google, Facebook

May 25 (Bloomberg) -- Eric Jackson, founder of Ironfire Capital LLC, talks about the outlook for Facebook Inc. and Google Inc. Jackson speaks with Deirdre Bolton on Bloomberg Television's "In the Loop." (Source: Bloomberg)

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How Big Will Alibaba Group Become?

Meet Alibaba Group.  It's soon to become bigger than either Tencent or Baidu.  The biggest Chinese Internet company in the world.

Read the full post in Forbes

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"Mobile Is Going To Crush Facebook"

Is the shift from desktop to mobile happening even faster than expected?

Read the full Forbes post

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Who's to Blame for Botched Facebook IPO?

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- I was at CNBC in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. last Friday when Facebook(FB_) had its initial public offering.

The tension in the room among producers was palpable as the IPO was delayed for half an hour.

Then, suddenly, it opened. The stock quickly jumped to almost $45. There were whoops and clapping atCNBC. People were excited.

However, within 10 minutes, something strange happened. The stock started to fall. It was one long, continuous slide back down to $38, where the underwriters defended it for the rest of the day.

That day, on business TV, the Facebook blame game started. Whose fault was it?

I couldn't have imagined that outcome a few short hours before. I woke up around 6 a.m. that Friday. When I turned on "Squawk Box," there was a sense of excitement similar to the Superbowl for business media. Later that day, people focused on Nasdaq (NDAQ_)and its technical problems. Next, people started pointing fingers at Morgan Stanley (MS_) for retaining too much control over the offering.

Yet, Morgan Stanley was the lead bank behind the most successful social media in the last two years:LinkedIn (LNKD_).

In contrast to Facebook, which sold 421 million shares in the IPO, LinkedIn sold 7 million shares. Did Michael Grimes give bad advice to Facebook and good advice to LinkedIn?

Unlikely.

If Morgan Stanley wasn't the problem, who was? Facebook management, which is to say, Mark Zuckerberg

Read the full post in TheStreet

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Here's How Wrong All the Facebook Predictions Were

Facebook‘s (FB) busted IPO is so last week’s news now.  We’ve now become so used to it, everyone’s taken to slagging it on Twitter and in the blogosphere.

It’s almost like we were all in on the joke of what a botched IPO it was going to be — except that’s not true at all.

In fact, we all thought the Facebook IPO was going to be a huge hit.  We were dead wrong.

Read the full post in Forbes

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GM Pokes Facebook in the Eye -- Why?

NEW YORK (Real Money) -- Tuesday's news that General Motors(GM_) is cutting ad spending on Facebook(FB_) was a huge shock to most casual investors. The concern among Facebook skeptics is whether GM is the canary in the coalmine leading other big ad spenders follow suit.


Read the full post in TheStreet.com here

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10 Steps Yahoo! Must Take to Succeed

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- With a new board in place with Dan Loeb, and an "interim" CEO who is well-liked internally and externally in Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo!(YHOO_) seems ready to start taking a number of steps to unlock value.


The laundry list basically breaks down into two parts: internal fixes and external ones.


Read the full post in TheStreet

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Hedgies Like Yahoo!'s New Board and Interim CEO

Hedge fund ownership in Yahoo increased 4% yesterday to nearly 20%. They know there's a shareholder-friendly group in charge of the board finally.

Read the full post in Forbes

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Does Jamie Dimon's Hubris Cause Him to Gloss Over Key Operational Details?

What other things has Jamie Dimon missed over the years, besides the London Whale?  Here's an interesting anecdote from Greg Zuckerman's book The Greatest Trade Ever.

Read the full post in Forbes

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CNBC Video: Yahoo Investor: 'Shareholders Can Finally be Happy'

My appearance from CNBC's Fast Money Halftime from earlier today on the ascension of Dan Loeb and Ross Levinsohn.



[Long YHOO]

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Here's the 30 Second Zuckerberg Video That Should Terrify All Facebook Investors

Read the full post on Forbes here.

In the meantime, here's the full video, below:



[Long YHOO]

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The Boy Who's Going to Kill Facebook Is Playing Videogames in His Mom's Basement As I Write This

The one constant in the world of Web and Mobile is change. Facebook may be the "king of social" today, but there will be a new "king of mobile" shortly. Here's why.

Read the full post in Forbes

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Why Third Point is Good for Yahoo! Employees and Shareholders

Many from Silicon Valley seem to view Third Point and Dan Loeb with suspicion.  It's the opposite. He'll be the biggest ally to Yahoo! employees and shareholders in the next two years.

Read the full Forbes post

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Apple's Team Is Underestimated

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Apple(AAPL_) closed Tuesday under $570. A little earlier in the day, it touched below $550. In the days prior to its last earnings call in April, Apple shares hit a low of $555.

This recent swoon, after moving from $360 in November to an all-time high of $644, has brought out a chorus of Apple-worrywarts. They are saying this is just the start of a broader pullback. They're saying this is due to investors who are worried about carriers pulling their subsidies on future iPhones.

Any pullback in Apple shares also seems to bring out the concerns about whether the largest company by market capitalization can still keep growing.

The other day, I spoke with a good friend of mine who worried about Apple's stock that: "Steve's no longer there and their markets are brutally competitive."

Read the full post in TheStreet

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John Hayes' Facebook-Yahoo! Conflict of Interest

Amex's John Hayes serves on Yahoo!'s board but is pimping out Facebook in its new IPO Roadshow Video. He needs to pick a side.

Read the full post in Forbes

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The Internal Situation at Yahoo! Is Spiraling Out of Control

The Scott Thompson affair is quickly spiraling out of control at Yahoo! with employees already in or about to be in open revolt. Messy or not, he must go now.

Read the full post in Forbes

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Facebook and Google Won't Fail in 5 Years Because of Lack of Money or Low IQ - But From Sociology and Human Nature

Facebook and Google have the smartest people in the world working for them and billions in the bank - and that still might not be enough to save them from sociological forces and human nature.

Read the full post in Forbes

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MediaTwits Podcast: The Future of Google and Facebook

I was invited on The MediaTwits podcast last week by Mark Glaser and Rafat Ali to discuss my recent Forbes article on the future of Google and Facebook.

Here's the podcast.

My part starts around the 19:40 mark.

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Why a Partial Yahoo-Alibaba Sale Must - And I Underscore Must - Not Get Done Too Quickly

Scott Thompson might want to do a quick deal with Alibaba to deflect attention from his alleged mendacity, but Yahoo shareholders don't want a quick bad deal

Read the full Forbes post

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Yahoo CEO Under Fire

My appearance on CNBC earlier discussing Scott Thompson.

Long YHOO

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Why Facebook Investors are "Hungry Fat Pigs" and Yahoo!'s Board is a "Bunch of Jokers"

My hit from earlier today on Bloomberg TV.

[Long YHOO]

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Time's Up for Scott Thompson - and the Rest of Yahoo!'s Board

Pack your bags, Thompson and the rest of the Yahoo! board.  Watch the door on your backside on the way out.

Read the full post on Forbes

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Why I Love Yelp

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Yelp(YELP_) will report earnings tonight. It will be its first earnings call since going public.


I am long the company for several reasons:


Read the full post on TheStreet.com

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Here's Why Google and Facebook Might Completely Disappear in the Next 5 Years

We think of Google and Facebook as Web gorillas.  They’ll be around forever. Yet, with the rate that the tech world is moving these days, there are good reasons to think both might be gone completely in 5 – 8 years.  And there’s some academic theory to back up that view, along with casual observations from recent history.


Read the full Forbes post

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How To Save Yahoo!

What 1 thing would you do to save Yahoo!'s core business? Here's a to do list for Scott Thompson.

Read the full post on Forbes

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New Video: Tech Talk

Here's my quick hit on Apple, Yahoo, Facebook and other tech names on BNN yesterday

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Why Facebook-Microsoft Patent News Isn't a 'Disaster' for Yahoo!

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Earlier Monday,Microsoft(MSFT_) announced that it would basically split the patents it had recently bought from AOL(AOL_) with Facebook. Facebook will pay roughly half the costs to get their hands on them.

Immediately, the pundit-sphere started cackling thatYahoo!(YHOO_) was about to have its head handed to it by Facebook because of this news.

Read the full post on TheStreet

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Why I'm Sick of All The Pundits Barking "Steve Jobs Wouldn't Have Done This"

It was inevitable that, upon Steve Jobs‘ death — after the requisite outpouring of emotion — the second-guessing would begin.


Read the full Forbes post

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Why The Next Shoe To Drop Post-Instagram Is Apple Buying Twitter for $10 Billion

The logic for Apple buying Twitter here.

Read the full post on Forbes

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New Rumor: Facebook Seeking Local Partner To Enter Mainland China

Mainland China is usually never short on rumors in tech.  However, Marbridge Daily is usually very reliable.  It reported that Bank of America (BAC) would be unloading its stake in CCB several months before it happened last year.

Now, this morning, it’s reporting (via DoNews) that Facebook is preparing to enter the Mainland Chinese market through a joint venture with a local partner.

Read the full post in Forbes

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The Power of Millennial Zuck

According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg called an audible on making the $1 billion acquisition of Instagram last week (which will actually be worth $1.3 billion if Facebook IPOs at a $100 billion valuation).

He didn’t involve his board at all in the negotiations until it was time to rubber-stamp it.  According to the Journal, on the morning of Sunday, April 8th, Zuckerberg first notified them that he would be buying the hot photo-sharing site.  They announced the deal the next day.

Read the full post on Forbes

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Ho Hum Earnings from Yahoo! But Lots of Reason for Excitement

I think the honeymoon with Yahoo! (YHOO) CEO Scott Thompson is over after last night’s performance on the earnings call.  It’s been a good 90 day run, but it’s over now.  Back to work, Scott.  Time to stop talking and start delivering.


Read the full Post on Forbes

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Yahoo's Thompson `Still Too Vague,' Jackson Says

April 18 (Bloomberg) – Eric Jackson, president and founder of Ironfire Capital LLC, talks about Yahoo! Inc.'s first-quarter sales and company outlook. Revenue, excluding sales passed on to partner sites, rose 1 percent to $1.08 billion, Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo said in a statement yesterday. Jackson speaks with Betty Liu on Bloomberg Television’s “In the Loop.” (Source: Bloomberg)





[Long YHOO]

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Video: Why Yahoo! is the New AOL and Google is the Old Microsoft

My hit from earlier today talking about Yahoo! and why Google is like Microsoft in 1999

[Long YHOO and AAPL]

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What Yahoo! Could Do to Soothe Investors' Nerves

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Yahoo!(YHOO_) will report its earnings this afternoon.

You shouldn't expect much in terms of the actual results. Investors will care about what the company says about its future.

This will be the first earnings call for Scott Thompson, the new CEO, since he's been in the seat for a full quarter. From now on, he owns all the results.

We have had an announcement of 2,000 job cuts two weeks ago and a company-wide reorganization last week.

Read the post in TheStreet

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It's Official: Google Today Is Just Where Microsoft Was in 1999

Google (GOOG) looks a lot more vulnerable to the accusation that it’s become the new Microsoft (MSFT) today compared to even a year ago.

Several people have said that Google’s co-founders, Larry Pageand Sergey Brin, have sought to build their company so that it wouldn’t make the mistakes that Microsoft did in the 1990s.

Well, surprise, Google today seems a heck of a lot similar to where Microsoft was right in 1999 – the year after Google was founded.

Read the full post in Forbes

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Why Yahoo! Needs Dan Loeb On Its Board Now

Tomorrow, Yahoo! (YHOO) will announce its latest quarterly earnings.  Presumably new CEO, Scott Thompson, will finally unveil some of the details behind his new strategy for turning around the core business of the Internet pioneer.


Read the full post on Forbes

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Google's Paranoid Governance Structure Has Made It Less Innovative, Not More

Here's why the anti-shareholder governance structure of Google has led to a flat share price in the last 5 years and no "innovations" to show for it.

Read the Forbes post

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Google Growth `Decelerating,' Jackson Says

April 12 (Bloomberg) -- Eric Jackson, president and founder of Ironfire Capital LLC, talks about Google Inc.'s first-quarter profit that topped analysts' estimates. Jackson speaks with Adam Johnson, Deirdre Bolton and Jon Erlichman on Bloomberg Television's "Street Smart." Howard Ward, portfolio manager at Gamco Investors Inc., also speaks. (Source: Bloomberg)

[I don't own GOOG]

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Hypocritical Yahoo! Says Icahn Fit to Serve as Director But Loeb Isn't

Here are all the ways that Yahoo! and Scott Thompson are being hypocritical and disingenuous in not inviting Dan Loeb to join the board immediately.

Read the full Forbes post

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CNBC Video: How do Activist Investors Help Companies?

My CNBC appearance from earlier this afternoon discussing activist investors and Yahoo!



[Long YHOO]

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Yahoo Should Cut More Jobs, Ironfire's Jackson Says

April 10 (Bloomberg) -- Eric Jackson, president and founder of Ironfire Capital LLC, talks about the outlook for Yahoo! Inc. He speaks with Emily Chang on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West." (Source: Bloomberg)

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Facebook-Instagram: Here Comes the Flood

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- "Kodak Goes Bankrupt and Instagram is worth a Billion Dollars. 2012, y'all"

That was a tweet from @benhjacobs that I retweeted Monday and immediately got hundreds of retweets from my followers.

For some reason, it seemed to capture the sense of awe from many over the significant milestone.

But it also gets at something else that's amazing in this story. How a small little photo application can be worth so much more -- in such a short time -- compared to an American icon. It says just how important "mobile" is in the business world today.

Read the full post on TheStreet

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5 Lessons from Mike Wallace's Life for All of Us

The world has lost a giant in Mike Wallace.  He was fearless.  Let's hope we can all learn from how he lived his life to improve our own.

Read the full post on Forbes

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The Case for Why The New York Times Will Disappear As We Know It By 2015

The New York Times (NYT) is arguably the most respected newspaper in the world with some fantastic journalists and editors.

Yet, it’s a financial basket-case with a business model that appears woefully mismatched for the iPad era.

Looking back at some historical trends in the Times’ own financial disclosures, the following presentation is my case for why I don’t see the Times existing as a stand-alone entity as we know it today after 2015.  Other traditional newspapers will face a similar fate even earlier.

Read the full post on Forbes

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Why Sarah Lacy and Andrew Ross Sorkin Are Both Wrong about the JOBS Act and Groupon

Sarah Lacy recently attacked Andrew Ross Sorkin for being too "Wall Street-minded" in attacking the JOBS Act and Groupon. Here's why they're both wrong and why Lacy needs to be less "Silicon Valley-minded."

Read the full post on Forbes

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Two Things That Must Happen Before Yahoo! Can Be Acquired

Today's 2000 job cuts at Yahoo! are a necessary first step.  If any buyer is going to buy the company longer-term, they need to cut more and also present more clarity around their Alibaba stake.

Read the full post on Forbes

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Justification for how Apple can get to $1,650/share by 2015

This is a presentation from March 15th at the Apple Investor Conference in LA about the next growth areas for Apple. It led to a later Forbes article I wrote on why I think Apple’s stock is going to $1,650 by the end of 2015. I don’t think Apple can keep growing at 90% a year, but 60% seems doable.

Aapl growth 315

View more presentations from Eric Jackson.

[Long AAPL]

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Fox Business: Apple Shares Headed for $1,600?

Ironfire Capital founder Eric Jackson on why he predicts Apple could rise to more than $1,600 a share by 2015.




[Long AAPL]

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Amazon May Be a Potential RIM Buyer, Jackson Says

Eric Jackson, president and founder of Ironfire Capital LLC, talks about the outlook for Research In Motion Ltd. and the company's stock. Jackson speaks with Betty Liu and Sheila Dharmarajan on Bloomberg Television's "In the Loop." (Source: Bloomberg)



[No positions]

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More Muddled Thinking From BlackBerry Management

This morning, shares of Research In Motion(RIMM) are up because investors think management waved the white flag and want to sell the company to the first bidder.

Therefore, bid up the shares now, before the acquisition premium gets put in.  Well, more on the potential for a RIM buyer in a later post.

I want to give people pause before jumping in to RIM shares here.

The new management – under CEO Thorsten Heins – still suffers from Balsillie-like muddled thinking.

Read the full post on Forbes

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Likely Buyers for RIM? Amazon and Microsoft/Nokia

RIM (RIMM) now has the fear of the God in them it seems.

That’s good, although they’ve still got a tough road ahead of them — especially with a lot of their leadership walking out the door.

What’s juiced the stock this morning is that investors think there’s a glimmer of hope the board might consider a full buyout of the Canadian company.

Read the full post in Forbes

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Youku Emerging a Goliath in China Internet

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- After the all-stock merger between Youku(YOKU_) andTudou(TUDO_) a couple of weeks ago, Youku's stock has receded from the $32 levels it hit the day of the deal announcement.


The stock is now back down at the $24 level -- and actually less than where it traded before the deal was publicized.


Read the full post in TheStreet

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BNN Video: Is Apple a $1,600 stock?

Apple Inc. (AAPL-Q 617.78 3.3 0.54%) shares hit a new high Tuesday, briefly reaching $614.91 US during morning trading. Apple shares have already gained more than 51 percent this year, but Eric Jackson, founder and managing partner of Ironfire Capital, sees the maker of the iPhone, iPad and other i-related products hitting $1,650 a share by 2015.

Jackson tells BNN Apple is poised to grab a huge share of business in emerging markets.

"They are playing in markets that are going to be massive in three to five years," Jackson says. "The wave is just starting that they are going to be capitalizing on."

Jackson says the iPhone will remain Apple's cash cow. He projects emerging markets like India will power a six-fold surge in sales over the next few years.

Here's the video here

[Long AAPL]

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Bloomberg Video: Ironfire's Jackson on Yahoo! Outlook

Here's my appearance from earlier today on Bloomberg TV's Money Moves with Trish Regan:



[Long YHOO, AAPL, and YOKU]

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CNBC Video: Apple Stock to Hit $1,650 by 2015

Here's my CNBC appearance from earlier today on why I think Apple's going a lot higher by 2015.

A lot of people hate this call, but I think they're missing just how big the markets that Apple is playing in are going to be:

[Long AAPL]

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Why Apple Will Hit $1,650 by the End of 2015

Think $600 is amazing? Think different. Apple's stock will hit $1,650 before the end of 2015. Here's why.

Read the full post on Forbes

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Ten Ways To Ensure You're Driving Your Bus Instead of Just Being a Passenger

Are you a hammer or a nail?

There are really two people in the world – as Simon and Garfunkel observed years ago – those who are a hammer and those who are a nail.

Which one would you rather be?

Some complain they have bad luck. Some make their luck.

Read the full post on Forbes

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Facebook Puts Spin in Its Ads

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Last week, in the middle of its IPO quiet period, Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg came to Madison Avenue to try and convince advertisers to think different about ads on Facebook versus other places.


Read the full post on TheStreet

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