As a longtime industry analyst, my goal is to maintain the highest levels of objectivity, independence and transparency in the research I write, the talks I give, my social media posts and other engagements I perform. I’m well aware that the analyst business is often criticized as being “pay to play.” I want to address how I deal with the inherent conflicts in the business and invite you to comment on and challenge my positions if you have concerns.

Readers should be aware that I write and consult for many of the companies that I cover and my firm, of which I am a co-CEO, receives revenue from companies that I analyze. To that end, this statement describes my ethics as an analyst, writer and business person, how I manage potential conflicts of interest and the way in which SiliconANGLE Media operates.

While obvious, I think it’s important to state that SiliconANGLE Media is a for-profit organization. SiliconANGLE Media’s business model depends substantially on sales of its products and services to technology sellers who we refer to as clients. We have three sources of revenue: 1) theCUBE live and on-demand TV; 2) Wikibon Research and 3) Digital experiences that aggregate content from theCUBE, Wikibon and other properties, and distribute that content to targeted communities.

TheCUBE conducts unscripted interviews and distributes them widely over the Internet and on social media. Organizations sponsor theCUBE and pay us because of its reach and ability to create content quickly. All sponsored content from theCUBE is clearly disclosed as such and clients have no control over questions asked by theCUBE hosts. Most of our interviews are conducted on live TV and as a matter of policy, we don’t edit the live content when posted on-demand.

Wikibon is the research arm of SiliconANGLE Media. Wikibon publishes analysis on Wikibon.com and SiliconANGLE.com. Wikibon sells subscription services and from time-to-time gets paid to publish content that is underwritten by clients. Clients pay for the data-gathering effort but not the analysis and clients have no control over content created by Wikibon analysts. In the past, Wikibon did not disclose when data gathering was underwritten. Our policy was such that clients did not get to see the written analysis until it was made public by Wikibon and any comments or changes (when warranted) were made under public scrutiny. However, we felt this approach was too opaque and have subsequently changed our policy. Going forward, content created from underwritten projects clearly discloses this fact. As well, underwriters are now allowed to review the content prior to publication, but only for technical and pricing accuracy.

I write, edit and publish content on Wikibon.com and SiliconANGLE.com. Opinions and analysis expressed are my own and controlled by me. Readers should be aware that my opinions are influenced by the access I have to data. Often clients will provide favorable data points and access to “friendly” customers in an effort to support their arguments; however, I always endeavor to find alternative and opposing points of view from competitors and competitors’ customers. The analysis from this “opposing view” data is always included in my works.

Readers should also be aware that as a business person, writer and analyst, I manage relationships with many companies and SiliconANGLE’s business depends, in part, on my ability to create lasting and financially profitable relationships with these organizations. Often I consult with these firms and assist them with strategy, go-to-market choices, partnerships and competitive positioning. I am influenced by these interactions in the sense that the more contact I have with companies and their employees/ecosystems, the more informed I become about their products, services and strategies. However, I never alter my opinions for a fee and I always strive to be objective, produce independent analysis and seek alternative views to include in my analysis. Moreover, I pledge to you the reader/listener that I will always try my hardest to write content that is useful, informative and objective to end customers.

I don’t invest directly in the companies I cover. My investments are managed at arm’s length by professionals in a diversified portfolio of stocks, funds and other financial vehicles with an allocation that fluctuates with market cycles and technical and fundamental trends. I don’t attempt to use my knowledge of technology companies and markets to profit in the stock market.