I was reading an article about brewing tensions between two tech titans in the LA times last weekend , and I was captivated as I tried to determine what the heck Samsung thought they would get out of suing Apple over emoticons. Then I read an additional Reuters article about how Samsung reportedly makes the advanced A5 chip that keeps the iPhone/iPad money train running. These two current articles display the devilish land grabs that are going on within the wireless, mobile and smartphone industries.  And I realized, this is just the beginning of contrary behaviors likely to be displayed by Apple and Samsung. As well as their tech peers, Sony, Google, Microsoft.

Though seemingly irrational to sue a business partner while your short term interests, e.g., continuing to push products that end consumers clamor for, both sides are pushing to establish their own beachheads. Areas of the tech space they can own, either through software, hardware or more likely the integration of the two. On one hand, you can see how both companies discussed in the article are advancing their own agenda and protecting their strategic opportunities. On the other, they both are strategically partnering with a direct competitor in one or more of those key business markets. I guess Michael Corleone was right…keep your friends close, and your “enemies” closer.