Don’t be billions-wise, trillions-foolish. This is NOT the Olympics. This isn’t about taxation. This isn’t even about subsidies. How do you think great startups are founded?? Great Startups are started by people who leave successful companies to start their own successful companies. Where Amazon Reigns Supreme The public doesn’t understand what Amazon really does. _Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images Amazon on Thursday said that its cloud business grew nearly 48.9 percent…_www.cnbc.com Amazon cloud revenue jumps 49 percent Heck, they don’t even understand where Amazon makes most of their money! Amazon.com Inc. is fast becoming a force to reckon with in the world of patents. With 1,662 patents granted in 2016, Amazon was ranked fourteenth in the list of companies with most patents. That’s only going to become more and more prevalent as the Fourth Industrial Revolution sweeps across the globe at singularity-speed. Patent Development is the lifeblood of an economy. Amazon has the best Infrastructure in the game. Amazon has the best order/delivery solution in the game. Amazon has the most widely-used AI in the game. According to the latest data released by the IFI Claims office, the Seattle company’s patent count rose by 46% [in 2016] and it was the biggest gainer in terms of number of utility patents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO). Why Funding Startups Directly Isn’t The Answer Caroline Fairchild, citing the following statistic, argued that governments should fund startups directly rather than giving billions to Amazon: …new companies create an average of 3 million jobs a year and have led to nearly all net new job creation in the United States for the past 40 years, according to the Kauffman Foundation’s annual Growth Index of Entrepreneurship. (Fairchild, Linkedin) What she failed to realize is that Startup Founders, Designers, and Engineers are born in the crucible of Fortune 50 industrial innovation. Besides, it’s not like funding both ends of the spectrum isn’t an option. For your Future & Your Children’s Future Given that Amazon is the #1 at product development, and startup-driven product development is the lifeblood of an economy, this makes Amazon the #1 place for a co-op student. The disruptive-minded founders, designers, and engineers who graduate from Amazon after 2–3 years will transform themselves Product Development GURUS…replacing the traditional university as a first step after high-school. I wonder if [City]’s best tech talent will benefit from working at the best tech company in the world? I guess that depends on if the government knows what to do with a renewable source of gold. Why Toronto Is THE Clear Front-Runner for Amazon’s #HQ2 Three days ago, for their futuristic mini-city. Alphabet chose TORONTO Why? Competitive Advantage #1: We’ve Got The Power There isn’t a city in the US that can hold a candle the combined intellectual capital shared between Toronto + Waterloo + Ottawa + Montreal. Source: UWaterloo Not convinced? Ask a Fortune 50 Manager where they’ve been getting their best co-op students for the past 20 years. Competitive Advantage #2: We’ve Got The Travel Toronto + Waterloo + Montreal is in line to become a MEGACITY given that they’re a finalist for . Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Competitive Advantage #3: Trumping the Tax Card Of course, the fly in the ointment of a Toronto #HQ2 is Ontario’s heavy tax burden. _In the world of health care, PillPack, an online pharmacy, is a pretty small player. Its work force of 1,000 or so…_www.nytimes.com Amazon to Buy Online Pharmacy PillPack, Jumping Into the Drug Business I wonder how Toronto might, you know, sweeten the pot a little bit… F. The Oracle Warned You This Would Happen The guy who staked Steve Jobs $25M when he was kicked out of Apple warned you 25 years ago that this would happen. Published on October 21, 2017 UnicornLaunching Launches Unicorns Worth Launching