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Little Rice: Smartphones, Xiaomi, and The Chinese Dream

(Columbia Global Reports)

Clay Shirky

3.76 · Rating details · 300 ratings · 46 reviews

Almost unknown to the rest of the globe, Xiaomi has become the world's third-largest mobile phone manufacturer. Its high-end phones are tailored to Chinese and emerging markets, where it outsells even Samsung. Since the 1990s China has been climbing up the ladder of quality, from doing knockoffs to designing its own high-end goods.

Xiaomi — its name literally means "little ...more

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Paperback, 128 pages

Published October 13th 2015 by Columbia Global Reports

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Aug 08, 2017 Andrew rated it really liked it

Shelves: politics-and-political-theory, technology-and-toys, economics-business-finance, china, data-information-tech

Little Rice: Smartphones, Xiaomi and the Chinese Dream, by Clay Shirky, is a book about the rapid rise of Chinese phone and OS manufacturer Xiaomi, and an overarching examination of Chinese censorship and information technology policies. This book is an interesting perspective on the issue, blending corporate economics with Chinese political power and the conflicting and overlapping interests of both. China is the world's largest market, and there are more smartphone users in China than the comb Little Rice: Smartphones, Xiaomi and the Chinese Dream, by Clay Shirky, is a book about the rapid rise of Chinese phone and OS manufacturer Xiaomi, and an overarching examination of Chinese censorship and information technology policies. This book is an interesting perspective on the issue, blending corporate economics with Chinese political power and the conflicting and overlapping interests of both. China is the world's largest market, and there are more smartphone users in China than the combined total population of the US and Western Europe (with 90% market saturation for smartphones in China, this is over a billion people). China's market is almost becoming another world in the global marketplace. Just having a target market of 5% of the Chinese population is equivalent to the market of France. This means big money is available in China - and big money is to be made in information technology. China is rapidly catching up to western nations in terms of information infrastructure, but it faces unique challenges due to its more authoritarian governmental system.

If there is one thing authoritarian states fear in the modern world, it is mass mobilization. The world of the internet thrives off of this mobilization. Think about the use of social media platforms and communications apps during the Arab Spring to organize mass movements. China therefore, has taken the step to crack down hard on the dissemination of information. It seeks to control access to information by blocking access to certain sites - dubbed the Great Firewall of China. It also blocks numerous VPN's to ensure information is not hidden. Current Chinese President Xi Jinping has been a fervent supporter of this control, but it is not a new function. This was also policy under Deng Xiaoping and his successors. The Chinese state promotes free markets, and offers many freedoms to its citizens as individuals, but it does not tolerate political freedoms.

So what does this have to do with Xiaomi? Xiaomi is an interesting case study in Chinese corporate structures under the repressive information technologies common currently in China. The company offers a mobile phone that is highly sought after in China's marketplace. It also features its own operating system (OS), which is characterized by weekly software updates targeting bug fixing and offering improvements, a rabid and popular user driven QA process, and flashy marketing that targets Chinese consumers. Xiaomi was founded in 2010, and in just 7 years has become the 5th largest mobile phone company in the world. It did so by targeting its home market, something slightly unusual for a Chinese tech company, which often manufacture goods and services on contract to western markets (think Foxcomm/Apple). It's phones offer features, apps and services that are highly sought after in China, and make the phone an attractive choice for purchase. The phones are also markedly cheaper than the average Samsung or Apple product on the Chinese market.

Xiaomi faces unique challenges in how it operates as a company. Global expansion is difficult due to the Chinese states overt control over its information technology infrastructure. Recent launches into India were met with skepticism by Indian consumers, and outright hostility by Indian politicians after it was found out that messages sent on a Xiaomi phone were often collected by Xiaomi servers in China - and therefore searchable by Chinese authorities. The suspicion of Chinese surveillance - while almost certainly a fact, is slightly overblown (as many countries adopt similar tactics to information collection by security services) but still a concern, especially from regional rivals like India. Xiaomi also has to contend with a government that both incubates it, but could also strangle it. Xiaomi has been successful precisely because China keeps such tight control over its information infrastructure. This allows a sort of infant-industry phenomena, where Chinese companies have little foreign competition when building and experimenting with information technologies like software, network hardware, and mobile phones. A Chinese built system is easier to control, not apt to foreign surveillance, and required to follow policy. Even so, China has thrown tech companies under the bus before. China has crackdown on companies like Baidu - targeting bloggers in lightening raids while also using negative online rhetoric to tarnish politicians about to be purged or arrested.

Shirkey has written an interesting analysis of both Xiaomi and China's information technology policies and censorship model. The book takes a critical look at the way these two worlds collide, and what it means for Chinese society - and the global marketplace, as a whole. This was an excellently written book, and certainly worth a look for those interested in the subject matter. ...more

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Jan 09, 2018 Sipho rated it liked it

Shelves: investing-and-business

If asked who the three largest manufacturers of smartphones are, it would be fairly obvious that Apple and Samsung would be in the top 2. Unbeknownst to many, however, a Chinese upstart company by the name of Xiaomi (pronounced ‘show’ -as in shower- ‘me’) has stealthily become the third biggest smartphone merchant.

The book Little Rice, whose title derives from the English translation of “Xiaomi”, reports on the rise of a Beijing based software provider to the world’s most valuable startup (valu If asked who the three largest manufacturers of smartphones are, it would be fairly obvious that Apple and Samsung would be in the top 2. Unbeknownst to many, however, a Chinese upstart company by the name of Xiaomi (pronounced ‘show’ -as in shower- ‘me’) has stealthily become the third biggest smartphone merchant.

The book Little Rice, whose title derives from the English translation of “Xiaomi”, reports on the rise of a Beijing based software provider to the world’s most valuable startup (valued at over $45 billion in 2015). Shirky attempts to explain how Xiaomi conquered the Chinese market and also paints a panoramic picture of China’s political and economic landscape.

Xiaomi was started in 2010 by software engineer Lei Jun. Initially the firm specialized in customizable mobile phone software named MIUI. As opportunities opened up, Xiaomi, the external hardware manufacturer was born retaining MIUI as its core operating system.

The backdrop of Xiaomi’s success in focus in this book. From a mere perception point of view, China is the ‘assembler’of goods conceived elsewhere. There appears to be a lee vibrant design and innovation culture in a country where cheap labour and the culture of shanzhai ( a term meaning “mountain village” and referring to the piracy and imitation) are the order of the day.

Xiaomi provides an interesting case study as to whether Chinese companies have the capacity to profitably innovate. The author notes that Xiaomi did (and continue to do) several key things differently to its competition to obtain a competitive advantage. Firstly, the company invites user feedback through what Shirky describes as “lead user innovation.” Indeed the MIUI platform is built around suggestions and improvements by core followers of the brand. Second, Xiaomi offers a customizable experience. The tacit agreement between Xiaomi and its customers appears to be that once purchased, their phones can and ought to be modified to the customer’s tastes. Thirdly, Xiaomi has kept operating costs low by only selling its goods online and monetizing software upgrades.

After an overview of the beginning of Xiaomi, the book then turns to a treatise of China’s social and economic policies. These, in my view, make it very difficult for any business to operate successfully. Particularly a technology business. Especially a foreign technology business.

The author details internet censorship and extreme protectionism as being barriers to entry for most foreign competition. This is a double edged sword for companies with plans of global expansion, like Xiaomi. While these policies shield them domestically, it forces them to effectively have 2 separate product offerings: one for China and another for the rest of the world.

Shirky concludes with a history of the “Chinese Dream” enunciated by Xi Jinping, the country’s current president. Young people should “dare to dream, work assiduously to fulfill the dreams and contribute to the revitalization of the nation.” With economic growth slowing down, these idyllic words sound more like a distraction from an unrealized prosperity for a majority of the populace.
The conclusion of the book is ‘we wait and see’. No one can predict whether the direction technology is taking in China will be beneficial to either the Chinese people or the world.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was informative although statistic heavy. Most of these were interesting enough though. For example, the number of people using mobile phones in China is greater than the total population of the USA and Western Europe combined. Or that China used more building cement in the first 3 years of this decade than the USA used in the whole 20th Century.

That said, there was surprisingly scant mention of Xiaomi itself. At least not as much as I expected. However, as an overview of where China is economically, this is as good a read as any.
...more

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Dec 11, 2018 Yuqi rated it really liked it

This easy, well-written little book is not only a business book about Xiaomi, but also it gives a very clear description of the background: the big environment of information age and the domesctic environment in China during the past several decades, where Xiaomi is born. I have not much background knowledge in the Internet industry, but this book makes it easy for me to understand the story behind the development of this Internet company. What I like especially about this book is that it gives ...more

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Nov 01, 2015 Darren rated it it was amazing

Here is a book that a certain generation would understand as being a crammer’s guide, a highly concentrated little book drilling down on a certain subject and providing just enough core, essential information about it (usually to help pass an exam). This book, the second in a new imprint from Columbia University Press, looks at a not-so-secret Chinese mobile phone company that has yet to shake the western world – yet it might be a case of “when” rather than “if” it does.

Cellphone nerds and astut Here is a book that a certain generation would understand as being a crammer’s guide, a highly concentrated little book drilling down on a certain subject and providing just enough core, essential information about it (usually to help pass an exam). This book, the second in a new imprint from Columbia University Press, looks at a not-so-secret Chinese mobile phone company that has yet to shake the western world – yet it might be a case of “when” rather than “if” it does.

Cellphone nerds and astute business watchers already know of Xiaomi (meaning “Little Rice” in Mandarin, hence the book’s title) and opinion varies as to how innovative, daring and futuristic the company is. Certainly one thing is for certain, if it continues to expand and develop at such a pace as it has thus far, expect fireworks in the global marketplace! Already, the author notes, the company is the third largest vendor of smartphones in the world – only pesky Apple and Samsung are standing in its way. Is there a real danger that this company may eclipse one or more of its competitors? Who knows, but previously many people were adamant that Nokia would be top dog until, err, it wasn’t, and there is no sign of a recovery yet. It has a lot of ground to make up.

Well the book does what it sets out to do and it does it well. It is competitively priced, a quality session read and is something that can be significantly out-of-date in just a few months – such is the fast-moving nature of the market. Read it whilst it is hot!

The author nails the importance of the mobile telephone in just a few words and if you reflect on it, it is not hyperbole: “The mobile phone is a member of a small class of human inventions, a tool so essential it has become all but invisible, and life without it unimaginable.” Of course, food, drinking water and shelter are more important, yet once you get past the basic elements of human survival, the humble cellphone is capable of being a lot more than just a means of calling. It can deliver news, provide location services, act as a mobile wallet for distant money transfer and much more; so many things that we take for granted today could be unimaginable just decades ago. It is everywhere, the author notes, citing ethnographer Jan Chipchase as saying that there are only three universally personal items that someone will carry with them no matter where they live – the first two are money and keys; the third is the mobile phone, making it the first new invention added to that short list in three thousand years.

Where are most of the mobile telephones made nowadays? Bzzt, China! Chinese companies are transitioning from being mere manufacturers to designers and naturally large potential targets are in their sights. Xiaomi has a head start and you can be sure they are not the only company chasing the dream of success. Through this book you learn how the company seeks to pump-up its customers to super-loyal users, providing feedback and quality market research in their wake. A wise company is not only responsive to its customers needs but it actively seeks out their opinions, both positive and negative. Maybe some established players could benefit from a little humility before it is too late?

Is the company finding its feet or overheating? Is there an internal clash or two whilst its identity is discovered, polished and formed? One design is lauded as being distinctive and forward thinking, the next is said to be a derivative (or a blatant copy of rivals’ designs). What will the next product be? Can any clues be inferred from the next stake in the ground? The book doesn’t say, yet it implies that the company is not sitting still.

This is not a hagiography or varnished PR book. It is a credible, interesting concise look at a fascinating company that is making waves. Even if you have no specific interest in mobile telephony but care for a good read, this could be something great to consume in an evening. It can also be an ideal travel companion as it is a powerful read without the overhead. Pared to the bone and ready for action, in other words.

Little Rice, written by Clay Shirky and published by Columbia Global Reports. ISBN 9780990976325. YYYYY.

Autamme.com ...more

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Sep 26, 2016 Amr rated it it was amazing

Shelves: business, nonfiction, tech, china

Clay Shirky's easy style of writing takes you on a trip through the busy corridors of a tech mall in Shenzhen to discover how China became the economic powerhouse it is today, and how its citizens are still struggling through poverty and climbing to the middle class.
Xiaomi, the young maker of a successful line of Chinese-designed and Chinese-made smartphones, is the focal point, but is only the beginning of a much larger story, a story about China's economic rise, its struggle to achieve economi ...more

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Oct 02, 2017 Ankit Agrawal rated it liked it

Clay Shirky's first hand account of Xiaomi's success story. He has access to the founder and the marketing director of the company and the entire narrative is constructed based upon interactions with them as well as the author's understanding of the country from his readings and his ongoing residential stint in Shanghai. Some parts of the book do give some insight on how Xiaomi managed to take China and Asia countries by storm. However, Shirky meanders and digresses too much in between to enter ...more

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Apr 08, 2016 Aman rated it liked it

Recommends it for: china, business, mobile, technology

Shelves: audible, economics-business, china

The book is really more of an extended essay. A somewhat bipolar essay. One part focuses on Xiaomi: its rise, the conditions that made it so, the challenges it faces as it expands,the broader trends it represents etc. The other part is about internet in China and how the Party deals with it. The book is at its best dealing with Xiaomi, crisply so. While there are some interesting insights into how the Party selectively censors the internet, nothing especially new. I did appreciate Shirky avoidin ...more

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Oct 09, 2015 Kent Winward rated it liked it

Clay Shirky's "Little Rice: Smartphones, Xiaomi, and The Chinese Dream" was an interesting little diversion into the burgeoning and problematic Chinese market and tech-market in particular. Shirky wrote the book "Here Comes Everyone" about crowd sourcing, but this book felt like it had a split personality in examining Xiaomi, a Chinese smart phone manufacturer and Chinese policies and struggles to build a middle class. Overall, not a cohesive and focused book. ...more

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Oct 09, 2015 Chris Beiser rated it liked it

Breezy, but lacking depth. The small errors (Google bought a startup from ex-Danger employees, not Danger itself, which was bought by MIcrosoft) aren’t problems, but the omissions (Xiaomi as an ecosystem play for the connected home, Xiaomi as a product-driven company) make it clear that Shirky is not entirely sure why Xiaomi has been successful, and make him overly skeptical of the stability of Xiaomi’s market position. Bits on the Chinese Dream were generally solid.

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Dec 12, 2015 Junjie Huang rated it liked it

Interesting approach. News coverage on Xiaomi usually focused on the business side. In Little Rice, Prof. Shirky linked Xiaomi's growth with the mixed development environment in China.

But other than that, the book failed to bring anything new to people that follows both the smartphone market in and economics/politics conflicts in China (Age of Ambitions is a much better work on the second part).

...more

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Jul 25, 2017 Zak rated it liked it

A quick, easy read touching on Xiaomi's strategy which is actually a derivative of Microsoft's strategy for desktop PC's. There is actually not much in-depth study of Xiaomi. Rather it reads more like a long op-ed on the exponential growth of smartphones (plus other things like social media) in China and the increasing difficulty faced by its ruling party in balancing outward growth vs domestic control. 3.5* ...more

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Dec 30, 2015 Tim Kadlec rated it liked it

I typically really enjoy Shirky's writing, but this one was a little subpar. While the topic itself is fascinating, it felt like Shirky kind of threw this one together a little too quickly—the connections between the main topic and his tangents were tenuous. There are a few interesting tidbits scattered throughout, but overall the discussion felt a bit shallow. ...more

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Feb 10, 2017 Rebecca rated it liked it

Shelves: china

Clear and relatively easy to read. I picked it up because I have a Xiaomi phone that I bought in China. The book is a mix of analysis of the company and of Chinese technology as a whole.

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Sep 28, 2017 Diah R rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: this-means-business

Clay Shirky wrote about how Xiaomi as a relatively new brand of phone could help shape the geopolitical and economy of China. It is not an easy road for Xiaomi, who was born and bred in China; the country we all presume as 'where the cheap things come from', to rise above some gigantic and well-known cellphone brands in the industry.

However, Shirky noted, that Xiaomi is well-loved by the fans and rely a lot on said fans to do the marketing and test-drive as well. Buyers who buy Xiaomi might as w ...more

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Sep 17, 2017 Travis rated it really liked it

This was a quick easy read. Shows the innovation of China and how many have become rich. They were able to reproduce things quickly and change designs quickly so customers could have a customized product.

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Sep 09, 2018 David rated it it was amazing

This a random pick from my local library. Pretty well written about the rise of Xiaomi and it's place in China's socio-economic development. I may have actually played a role in it's rise when I installed the MIUI custom rom way back in '12. Just saying hahaha ...more

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Sep 23, 2018 Delanie rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

A good, short read. I dont normally read non fiction so most of mu problems with it were because of me and not the book. One of the few exceptions being he didn't cite sources in text or even with foot notes ...more

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May 02, 2020 Zach rated it liked it

Some good background information on the rise of Xiaomi within the context of the modern Chinese manufacturing market. Draws some conclusions about both consumers and manufacturers in both China and abroad that I think are a tad simplistic and broad.

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Aug 28, 2020 Todd Cheng rated it really liked it

An interesting delve into cell phone supply chain and the growth of China as a real global competitive partner.

I guess we expected another nations rise into a complex field to take as long as took the US. They took good notes.

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Jun 09, 2018 Marcelo rated it it was amazing

Albeit short, great book for understanding chinese manufacturing and internet industries today.

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Mar 01, 2019 Dani Ollé rated it really liked it

Very interesting short essay about Xiaomi's rise ...more

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Jul 02, 2019 Jingwei Shi rated it liked it

Shelves: tech

This book only provides a brief introduction to Xiaomi and lacks many key elements.

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Nov 21, 2019 Alex rated it really liked it

Shelves: technology, nonfiction, business

Nice take on a technology Chinese company.
Pretty interesting strategy decision overview.

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Dec 10, 2019 Yashank Sakhardande rated it really liked it

If you have 0-3 work experience, this book is a good read.

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Apr 26, 2020 Lorenzo Huang rated it really liked it

Good summary of China new tech era

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May 30, 2020 Mike Madden rated it it was ok

Very little about Xiaomi and too much about China.

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Oct 19, 2015 Bianca Smith rated it really liked it

Shelves: tap-dancing-spiders-reviews

I’ve lived in two countries and spend a lot of time in a third, but they’re all rather homogenous. All are English-speaking and tech-enabled. Your phone runs either iOS or Android. It’s all pretty easy. That’s why I loved reading Little Rice by Clay Shirky. It tells a story that’s similar to my everyday, but so very different.

I should probably point out that this book isn’t like the usual marketing or business books I review. Little Rice is more a commentary/case study on the smartphone industry I’ve lived in two countries and spend a lot of time in a third, but they’re all rather homogenous. All are English-speaking and tech-enabled. Your phone runs either iOS or Android. It’s all pretty easy. That’s why I loved reading Little Rice by Clay Shirky. It tells a story that’s similar to my everyday, but so very different.

I should probably point out that this book isn’t like the usual marketing or business books I review. Little Rice is more a commentary/case study on the smartphone industry in China.

As this is a bit different than the norm, you may not know who Clay Shirky is. Clay’s a New York University professor and technology commentator. He’s been interviewed a few times on my favorite podcasts discussing the impact of technology on our lives, and possible future trends. A smart, engaging man.

Back to Little Rice.

Have you heard of Xiaomi? I hadn’t until reading this book. It’s a Beijing-based smartphone company that’s actually a big deal. They design and manufacture their phones in China and on Singles Day 2014, nearly 1.2 million of the 1.9 million phones sold by Taobao were Xiaomis. Sure that’s equal to Boxing Day or Black Friday, but still. It’s a lot of phones by one retailer in one day. It’s easy to forget how big China is.

In Little Rice, Clay tells the story of Xiaomi and along with it, the story of technology adoption and economic change in China. Most of the time he uses Xiaomi’s experiences and practices to show what is happening in China, but he also digresses into Chinese economic history to give more context on why some decisions are made. I especially enjoyed (perhaps more amused?) by the list of things that the Chinese government has banned from discussion. Clay also gives detail into the dual-layered communications policies designed to limit the masses, while supporting the government.

While this sounds in-depth and detailed, it’s actually a short read. My Kindle copy was under 200 pages. At one point, I started skimming but was drawn back in. Probably by the business model that starts with thin margins when a phone is first released and actually gets wider as the phone ages – very different than what Apple or most Western manufacturers do. I also was drawn in by the Xiaomi Ambassador Program. It’s very developed and multi-layered. I’d love to work on a similar program here.

Who Is Little Rice For?
There are few instances where you’ll have a distinct need to read Little Rice. It’s great for supplementary background, or if you’re launching a product in China. Yeah, so limited as a must-read. However, for anyone curious or wanting to see different business practices then definitely read this. China’s confused government policies and immensely different culture bring creativity that’s rarely seen in the US. I’m hesitant to give a demographic group because Little Rice is for many different people (including historians and economists) if they have the desire for the knowledge.

Thanks to Net Galley and Columbia Global Reports for my review copy. Featured image photo credit to NYU Shanghai. Sorry, I couldn’t find a large copy of my book cover for my usual template.

Originally published on: http://tapdancingspiders.com/book-rev... ...more

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Mar 01, 2016 Dustin rated it really liked it

This book is a satisfying snack for a long flight. I'd heard of Xiaomi previously and wondered why I hadn't seen a Xiaomi phone in the US. Turns out it's all about intellectual property lawsuits: while China's government has its own laws regarding international copyright protection, the much stricter laws in the US mean that a company thriving in China can be barred from entry to US and Western European markets. This book is a thorough examination of the Xiaomi business model and as such serves ...more

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Nov 15, 2015 Nenad Vukusic rated it it was ok

Latest from the prophet of the interwebs is a tale of China, and its entwined web of politics and economics giving birth to pioneering companies that might eventually grow large enough to compete with the western companies that used China as giant low wage factory for decades. Based on the example of Xiaomi telephone company, discussing their marketing tactics as well as the role of the Chinese culture in the success of Xiaomi.

Having enjoyed Shirky's previous books, I would appreciate a wider v ...more

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Nov 15, 2015 Uwe Hook rated it really liked it

The author nails the importance of the mobile telephone in just a few words and if you reflect on it, it is not hyperbole: “The mobile phone is a member of a small class of human inventions, a tool so essential it has become all but invisible, and life without it unimaginable.” Of course, food, drinking water and shelter are more important, yet once you get past the basic elements of human survival, the humble cellphone is capable of being a lot more than just a means of calling. It can deliver ...more

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About Clay Shirky

Clay Shirky

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Mr. Shirky divides his time between consulting, teaching, and writing on the social and economic effects of Internet technologies. His consulting practice is focused on the rise of decentralized technologies such as peer-to-peer, web services, and wireless networks that provide alternatives to the wired client/server infrastructure that characterizes the Web. Current clients include Nokia, GBN, th Mr. Shirky divides his time between consulting, teaching, and writing on the social and economic effects of Internet technologies. His consulting practice is focused on the rise of decentralized technologies such as peer-to-peer, web services, and wireless networks that provide alternatives to the wired client/server infrastructure that characterizes the Web. Current clients include Nokia, GBN, the Library of Congress, the Highlands Forum, the Markle Foundation, and the BBC.

In addition to his consulting work, Mr. Shirky is an adjunct professor in NYU's graduate Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), where he teaches courses on the interrelated effects of social and technological network topology -- how our networks shape culture and vice-versa. His current course, Social Weather, examines the cues we use to understand group dynamics in online spaces and the possible ways of improving user interaction by redesigning our social software to better reflect the emergent properties of groups.

Mr. Shirky has written extensively about the internet since 1996. Over the years, he has had regular columns in Business 2.0, FEED, OpenP2P.com and ACM Net_Worker, and his writings have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Harvard Business Review, Wired, Release 1.0, Computerworld, and IEEE Computer. He has been interviewed by Slashdot, Red Herring, Media Life, and the Economist's Ebusiness Forum. He has written about biotechnology in his "After Darwin" column in FEED magazine, and serves as a technical reviewer for O'Reilly's bioinformatics series. He helps program the "Biological Models of Computation" track for O'Reilly's Emerging Technology conferences.

Mr. Shirky frequently speaks on emerging technologies at a variety of forums and organizations, including PC Forum, the Internet Society, the Department of Defense, the BBC, the American Museum of the Moving Image, the Highlands Forum, the Economist Group, Storewidth, the World Technology Network, and several O'Reilly conferences on Peer-to-Peer, Open Source, and Emerging Technology.

Prior to his appointment at NYU, Mr. Shirky was a Partner at the investment firm The Accelerator Group in 1999-2001, an international investment group with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London. The Accelerator Group was focused on early stage firms, and Mr. Shirky's role was technological due diligence and product strategy.

Mr. Shirky was the original Professor of New Media in the Media Studies department at Hunter College, where he created the department's first undergraduate and graduate offerings in new media, and helped design the current MFA in Integrated Media Arts program.

Prior to his appointment at Hunter, he was the Chief Technology Officer of the NYC-based Web media and design firm Site Specific, where he created the company's media tracking database and server log analysis software. Site Specific was later acquired by CKS Group, where he was promoted to VP Technology, Eastern Region.

Before there was a Web, he was Vice-President of the New York chapter of the EFF, and wrote technology guides for Ziff-Davis, including a guide to email-accessible internet resources, and a guide to the culture of the internet. He appeared as an expert witness on internet culture in Shea vs. Reno, a case cited in the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the Communications Decency Act in 1996.

Mr. Shirky graduated from Yale College with a degree in art, and prior to falling in love with the internet, he worked as a theater director and designer in New York. His company, Hard Place Theater, staged "non-fiction theater", theatrical collages of found documents.

Mr. Shirky's writings are archived at shirky.com, and he currently runs the N.E.C. mailing list for his writings on networks, economics, and culture. ...more

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“The simplest answer is that the user had access to reality—every company builds a bubble around itself, where the products get built and tested in a more controlled environment than they get used in. This is especially true of complex software. What the early users enabled Xiaomi to see was how MIUI actually worked when real (albeit unusually technically proficient) people tried to install it on a wide variety of devices.” — 1 likes

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