David Kirkpatrick interviews Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini at Techonomy 2013. (Photo by Asa Mathat)
David Kirkpatrick interviews Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini at Techonomy 2013. (Photo by Asa Mathat)

At Techonomy, we’ve argued from the beginning that there is no real difference between a “tech” company and a “company.” We held a session entitled “Every Company Is a Software Company” at our 2011 conference, and aim to be a central meeting point for traditional companies and startups. This interesting piece from TechCrunch points to the stunning number of acquisitions being made by established, supposedly “non-tech” companies in a wide variety of industries. And the article’s list is just the tip of the iceberg. At Techonomy 2013, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini explained his own firm’s recent rash of tech acquisitions, and how he keeps them sequestered so they can retain their unique culture and not get infected with old-think from the parent company. This is a central trend of modern business which we will keep tracking. Glad TechCrunch is as well.