Blog 2: Week of January 28: Why IEOR 190G?

I am taking IEOR 190G because I am interested in learning more about technology, specifically about wireless mobile device patents. While my technical background is not as strong as some of my peers who are majoring in computer science or electrical engineering, I hope to learn more the infrastructure that allows consumers to use wireless devices, the different patents that grant companies such as Apple, Samsung, or Amazon competitive advantages over one another, and how litigation plays a role in giving companies inorganic advantages.

One of my goals for this class is to leverage my interest in business with the information I gain in IEOR 190G to gain a holistic perspective on wireless mobile devices, an industry that has defined consumer technology ever since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007.

Blog 1: Week of January 28

My name is Christopher Chen, and I am a student at UC Berkeley. I was born and raised in San Diego, but spent a few years on the East Coast in New Jersey and North Carolina. I grew up playing piano and tennis competitively, and I decided to come to Berkeley to get a change of scenery from Southern California. I am constantly amused by reading about patent legal battles between Apple and the rest of the world, hedge fund managers taking massive positions against each other (Herbalife), and watching a company's stock price go into free-fall once David Einhorn gets quoted in the WSJ. I am involved with the Undergraduate Finance Association on campus and enjoy playing board games and solving Rubik's Cubes in my spare time.