The Best Performance Reviews Are Not Reviews At All

By Brett Fox | June 24, 2014

Every year you go through it: the dreaded performance review. What’s in store for you this year? A raise? A promotion? What does your boss really think of you? How will rate versus your peers? Good performance reviews are not performance reviews at all. They are a continuation of the ongoing conversation between you and…

If I were 22: Advice from My Dad

By Brett Fox | June 10, 2014

Like many sons, my Dad was a tremendous influence on me. A tough, no-nonsense individual who loved me and my brother dearly, he would do anything to help us. My Dad and I share a lot of similarities: he was an Electrical Engineer like me. He started his career in the semiconductor business like me.…

Leadership Put to the Test: The Hardest Speech I Ever Gave

By Brett Fox | June 4, 2014

My company was in a tough position. We were raising money, and that’s never an easy proposition, but it’s really difficult for a semiconductor company. We had a term sheet, but one of our existing investors wanted an additional new investor to join the syndicate. We had four new potential investors that were closing in.…

The Four Keys to Hiring Exceptional People

By Brett Fox | May 28, 2014

I’m constantly interviewing people. You should be too, whether you are a CEO or a manager. Arguably, it is the most important responsibility you have because hiring exceptional people is how you build an exceptional company. I’m human, so I make mistakes. (Lots of ’em, in fact.) When it comes to hiring, every mistake I’ve…

How to Steal Netflix’s Company Culture in Six Easy Steps

By Brett Fox | May 21, 2014

“Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal” Pablo Picasso We unabashedly stole our company culture at Touchstone from Netflix with a little bit of Zappos and Sandy Koufax thrown in. There. I’ve said it. We were thieves and robbers, but I’d like to think we were just being smart. I’ve always felt you can take inspiration…

Should Money Losing Companies be Allowed to IPO?

By Brett Fox | May 14, 2014

I don’t know about you, but I have always been fascinated by the stock market. I lived through, and survived, the 2000 tech bubble. Now I feel like I’m watching a sequel to that movie, albeit a smaller one. That’s when a crazy thought hit me: “Should money-losing companies be allowed to IPO?” Okay, I’ll…

My Industry is Consolidating, Now What?

By Brett Fox | May 8, 2014

We’ve seen it happen time and again: an industry, once growing like one of Jack’s magical beanstalks, has slowed or stopped growing. But wait! There’s more!!! There are no new companies entering the industry, and the incumbents are merging to improve efficiency. Okay, so now what do you do? It’s a tough question that’s affecting…

It’s the End of the Semiconductor World as We Know it, and I Feel Fine

By Brett Fox | May 1, 2014

It’s The End Of The Semiconductor World As We Know It And I Feel Fine By Brett Fox Surely you remember the semiconductor world? You’ve known if for a long time, right? Well, it’s over. Or, at least, the semiconductor world is over as you and I have known it for all these decades, and…