stocks

The rise of Redbox should spook Netflix

A decade ago, Redbox was a tenuous experiment; its kiosks sold miscellanea from pantyhose to milk. Now, it has a shot at disrupting the king of web streaming.

By Kevin Kelleher, contributor

FORTUNE -- Reed Hastings must look at Redbox these days with a mixture of bafflement and envy.

Last summer, the Netflix (NFLX) CEO tried to introduce a new fee structure that most subscribers viewed as a price increase. A few months MORE

OpenTable's rise and fall is a cautionary tale

OpenTable is a reminder for investors eager for a piece of a hot tech IPO: It doesn't take a stock bubble on the scale of the 90s dot-com mania for investors to lose money on a supposedly hot Internet stock.

By Kevin Kelleher, contributor

FORTUNE -- Nothing lasts forever, but the speculative momentum that can drive up tech stocks is especially fleeting. Just ask OpenTable (OPEN).

The company that made online restaurant reservations MORE

Oracle: Warning of another tech slowdown?

The enterprise giant's stumble may not bode well for the technology sector -- and not just enterprise providers, but all big cap tech companies.

By Kevin Kelleher, contributor

FORTUNE - Oracle missing its earnings guidance is like Mariano Rivera blowing a save opportunity, or Bob Dylan putting out a disappointing record. It happens, but not very often. And when it does, the only real question is: Why?

The answer matters beyond the world MORE

Why Zynga may not be as bad off as it seems

Yes, the social gaming company's stock is off to an ignominious start.  But a closer look  shows things are more complex than they first appear.

By Kevin Kelleher, contributor

FORTUNE -- Several months ago, things were looking very good indeed for Zynga. The casual-gaming company stood apart from other web IPOs of 2011 thanks to its "bountiful" profits. Investors were "excited" by an offering that could value the company at $20 billion.

Now that MORE

Cisco promised a turnaround. Is this it?

Cisco has been struggling to find a suitable second act. Now, with its major competitors distracted, the first glimmers of hope may be in sight.

By Kevin Kelleher, contributor

FORTUNE -- Few companies have been as central to the Internet's development as Cisco. ISPs, private companies and public institutions have relied on its switches and routers so much that the San Jose company's name might as well be synonymous with the Net's MORE

Oracle: Learning to love the cloud

Three years ago, CEO Larry Ellison trashed the cloud, calling the idea 'gibberish.' Now, he's changed his tune, trying to embrace the cloud. Question is, does the cloud really want to embrace Oracle?

By Kevin Kelleher, contributor

FORTUNE – First, Oracle ignored the cloud. Then Larry Ellison, its CEO, ridiculed the cloud. And now Oracle is trying to buy its way into the cloud. The question is: what exactly does the cloud MORE

Netflix and Amazon aren't as bad off as it seems

Investors were caught off guard by results at Amazon and Netflix. Truth is, if they'd been paying closer attention, they'd have seen it coming.

By Kevin Kelleher, contributor

FORTUNE – This fall's earnings season is starting to look like hunting season for big-name web companies. First, Netflix drops 35% in one day, Tuesday, after heavy subscriber losses and warning investors that it would lose money for a few quarters next year. Then MORE

Good luck, Meg. You'll need it.

Meg Whitman's experience at eBay may make her seem qualified to lead HP's turnaround. But most tech turnarounds -- when they work -- take several years. And this one is likely to be very difficult.

By Kevin Kelleher, contributor

FORTUNE -- Most seasoned executives have their share of career ups and downs. And then there's Meg Whitman.

Whitman presided over eBay's rise from a scrappy startup to an e-commerce giant worth $75 billion MORE