Feb 28, 2018 - This research project examines how Winding Tree is deploying blockchain technology to disintermediate global distribution systems and online travel agencies so that airlines, hotel, and car companies can offer available inventory directly to consumers in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, potentially to compete more effectively with Airbnb and Uber.

Nov 28, 2019 - Written in a conversational style, this guide is aimed at people new to blockchain technology and interested in boosting their careers or identifying business opportunities for themselves or their organizations. It unpacks confusing blockchain jargon with lots of examples, and it covers what every professional needs to know about this area of innovation. Its appendix provides a range of activities for learning more and developing hands-on experience with the technology. The author’s goal is to help readers understand the role of blockchain as a disruptive force in their industries, their organizations, and their careers.

Jan 30, 2018 - This project illustrates different approaches to integrating blockchain into the retail environment. It compares the strategies of two online retailers, Overstock and Newegg, both of which accept cryptocurrency as payment for online purchases. Because of the challenges of implementing crypto within their legacy payment gateways, both formed strategic partnerships with crypto exchanges and payment services, BitPay, Coinbase, and Shapeshift.

May 10, 2018 - In this research project, Joel Telpner gives us a guided tour of regulatory risk. Pulling lessons from regulating innovation in telecommunications and the financial markets, he focuses on the extent to which the blockchain represents unprecedented regulatory challenges. He advocates a level-headed approach to determining when regulation is necessary and, in such cases, the form that regulation should take, so as to minimize the unintended consequences. Using illustrations by the legendary political cartoonist John Tenniel and passages from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass: and What Alice Found There, Telpner gives executiv...

Aug 30, 2019 - This is the first half of Trust(less): How Blockchain Will Help Us Navigate the Post-Trust World. It establishes the context for distrust in technology. We might assume that our current challenges with blockchain innovations are unique. But every generation of inventive entrepreneurs has faced push-back from a species that doesn’t easily embrace change. After reviewing the history of initially terrifying inventions—from electricity and elevators to artificial intelligence and Airbnb—the author distills the lessons relevant to the building consumer trust needed for broad consumer adoption of blockchain technologies.

Dec 09, 2018 - Amid ongoing reports of surveillance, censorship, and massive hacking of data, this research explores how distributed ledger technology can address the challenges of the World Wide Web. The authors argue that blockchain can support the Internet’s founding ideals, decentralize the Internet, and restore the balance of power between individuals and large organizations. They focus on three big issues: open access, fair participation, and the recovery of the individual sovereignty as users. The authors interviewed such experts as Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Joseph Lubin of Consensus Systems, Shane Greenstein of Harvard Business School, Rouven Heck of u...