Tom Steyer: The jolly green banker

Banker and philanthropist Tom Steyer says the idea of business doing everything perfectly without government involvement is "ridiculous." That's why he's fighting to convince politicians and CEOs that going green isn't a sacrifice, it's an opportunity.

Tom Steyer founded Farallon Capital Management and OneCalifornia Bank. He's also an environmentalist and philanthropist. He and his wife funded the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy at Stanford University, devoted to researching sustainable energy, and the Steyer-Taylor Center for MORE

New c-suite seat: CTO of the cloud

C-level positions don't get created overnight. So what is it about the cloud computing revolution that merits a seat in the executive suite?

The cloud: A once, well, hazy term that describes the increasingly vast array of software, applications, and data storage tools that live not on users' home PCs but on the Internet, is taking form. Cloud computing, as tech companies would have us understand it, encompasses all kinds of MORE

Nissan's Leaf strategy: battery powered confusion?

Nissan really wants to be the leader in electric vehicles. Maybe that's why it's being coy about how many they plan to sell.

Nissan executives have been notoriously optimistic about the electric vehicle market, and not without a vested interest: they hope to become the leading manufacturer of green cars. So far, the company's image has done well from the refresh. Nissan has received plenty of press for its aggressive pursuit MORE

Why Dell won't go private

The company needs to transform, but here's why going private doesn't make sense.

Rumors of Dell going private really took off back in June when, at the Sanford C. Bernstein investor conference, CEO and founder Michael Dell, well, mentioned that he had considered that strategy.

Then earlier this month, CFO Brian Gladden poured some gas on the flames when he said the debate was still alive in Austin, saying that Dell (DELL) had spent MORE

Electric vehicles not as easy as A123

The hot battery maker has a balance sheet problem -- lots of inventory of expensive EV batteries. It looks like the adoption curve for electric vehicles is flatter than anyone thought.

Battery maker A123 was supposed to rev up the electric vehicle revolution. When the company went public in September 2009, Wall Street loved it. But recently, A123 (AONE) has had a hard time pleasing the Street, missing earnings estimates even MORE

Better battery financing for Better Place won't help most EVs

Better Place is working with GE to finance purchases of batteries for its switching stations and electric car system. But since most EVs come with the batteries built in, the financing won't be a panacea for the pricey new cars.

The electric vehicle industry's major hurdle these days is the exact same piece of hardware that's supposed to power it. Batteries for electric cars can cost up to $10,000 a piece. MORE

Can social apps kill enterprise software?

Big, expensive, custom software from blue-chip software and consulting companies has been a rule of thumb for giant corporations for decades now. Is it possible a new breed of cloud-oriented startups can change all that?

Anyone who's had to sort through a clunky "reply all" email chain at work or tried to post a document to the intranet knows that there's got to be a better way. In fact, they probably MORE

How Intel changed its tune on tablets

The chip maker was gung-ho when the market looked small and the iPad was predicted to sell just OK. Now that it's booming, Intel says tablets are important, but not that important yet.

One thing about Intel's strategy when it comes to tablets and its Atom family of mobile processors: it ain't what it used to be.

Even though Intel (INTC) reported strong third quarter results, analysts have speculated the strength of MORE

Addicted to bits: Smartphones are our new drug of choice

Smartphones' sleek forms, tactile buttons, and blinking lights add up to a sort of game -- and a perfect catalyst for compulsive behaviors.

If you've got a smartphone, check it. Chances are, it's flashing a light or showing you an icon to signal a new text, e-mail, Facebook message, or even the archaic missed call. And that feels good. Face it, it's a bummer when you pick up your phone after MORE

Intel on the outside

The company missed the iPad revolution but says it's not worried. Should it be?

Apple watchers all figured the iPad would do well, but even they were astonished when the company sold 2 million iPads in less than one full month after its release. And that rate will probably only grow: Analyst Maynard Um with UBS estimated that Apple (AAPL) would sell at least 28 million iPads in 2010, according to MORE