Disclosure Policy
The purpose of this policy is to disclose any material connections that may exist between companies and Altimeter and its employees. In our line of work, we want to be trusted advisers to our clients, the market, and our communities. We believe that if you are to trust our opinions as thought leaders and the strategies we develop as advisers, then we need to clarify any conflicts of interest that may exist. We endeavor to give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on topics, products, services, and companies, but in the end, we are human. Our points of view are colored by our background, occupation, religion, political affiliation, or experience. And we are inevitably impacted by who pays us in a material way.
There may be instances where we write about or discuss our clients, company events at which we are speaking where we are paid, or companies where we have a vested interest, such as a board seat or investment. To the best of our knowledge, we have included these relationships below.
Client List
Altimeter requests permission from companies from which we have received remuneration in the past 12 months for advisory or speeches to disclose the relationship. We have and will respect companies who request not to be added to this client list. An updated list of disclosed clients is also available.
Personal Interest or Investment
There may also be organizations where we have a personal, vested interest. Listed below are these specific relationships. These relationships will be disclosed directly in any written or verbal communications where the relationship becomes material. For example, if an employee sits on the board of an organization that is being discussed or written about, it will be disclosed.
Investments
Charlene Li’s spouse, Côme Lague, runs a venture capital firm, Nueva Ventures, which has invested in several companies that Altimeter Group may cover.
Nonprofit Boards
Charlene Li serves on the Poynter Institute Board of Advisors, the Knight Digital Media Center Advisory Board, and the Harvard University Alumni Associations Board of Directors.
Mutual Funds
Altimeter Partners own mutual funds and 401k funds, but do not influence how funds are chosen, nor are completely aware of all stocks and companies in each fund. We do not have a direct relationship with fund managers.
Products and Services
Altimeter and its employees will not accept direct payment for endorsements of products, services, or companies — any endorsement that we make will be because we believe in the merit of the product or service. If there’s a product we’ve tested and liked, we’ll purchase it with our own money.
Due to our line of work, we often test and review products before they are released to the general masses. We may have also received free or discounted products or services in order to understand how they work as a reviewer. In instances where we discuss or write about these products or services of market value over $75, we will disclose if we obtained them from the company at a free or discounted rate. For example, “A demonstration unit was provided for the purpose of this review.” Where feasible, the tester product will be returned to the company or given away to charity or a member of the community. For example, Jeremiah keeps a running list of products he’s currently testing and has given away.
Advertising
Sites, services, and events associated with Altimeter Group may have advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions, or other forms of marketing. Those advertisements will be clearly identified as paid advertisements sponsorships whenever possible and reasonable. For example, Jeremiah’s Web Strategy Blog displays job postings and discloses on each page that “Fees from these job postings pay for web hosting.” In some cases, a clear marking will not be made — for example, Altimeter may receive affiliate revenues from sales of books on the site, via Amazon’s affiliate sales program. But if a review of the book is being made in a blog post, it will not include an affiliate link.
Questions?
For questions about this disclosure policy, please send an email to info@altimetergroup.com.
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