
John Deere Takes on Silicon Valley - fanquake
http://www.startribune.com/john-deere-takes-on-silicon-valley/448698173/
======
jpelecanos
This article reminded me of what Bruce Greenwald said in an interview [0]:

 _If you look at a company like Deere, making equipment is a small part of
what they do. A lot goes into putting it to work and making sure it works. A
lot of the company is driven by local software. Because the equipment lasts
longer, the secondhand markets are a big deal. Those markets are local. For
financing, you need local information so you can know the good risks. Imagine
that in Illinois, 90% of the tractors and harvesters and seeders are made by
Deere. Who will have the best service? Which second-hand market will be the
most dense and therefore easiest to sell? Who will have the best information
and financing? Deere. Kubota will have a hard time trying to break into that
market. And Deere, even if it temporarily suffers in sales, has a service base
that means it’s not going to compete on price._

[0] [http://www.barrons.com/articles/bruce-greenwald-
channeling-g...](http://www.barrons.com/articles/bruce-greenwald-channeling-
graham-and-dodd-1494649404)

