larry downes is an internet industry analyst and author on business strategies and information technology downes is best known for his book with chunka mui unleashing the killer app digital strategies for market dominance which focuses on the potential of products and services for dramatically changing business unleashing the killer app sold over 200000 copies and was named by the wall street journal one of the five most important books on business and the internet ever published downes is also the author of the laws of disruption harnessing the new forces that govern business and life in the digital age his most recent book coauthored with paul nunes is big bang disruption strategy in the age of devastating innovationdownes writes regularly for a variety of publications including the washington post harvard business review forbes and cnet about such issues as net neutrality the us federal communications commission fcc and disruptive innovation generally he has testified frequently before congress on technology policy on february 15 2011 he testified in front of congress against the fccs net neutrality rules the socalled open internet rule which prohibits blocking of lawful content and bans various forms of discrimination in the handling of specific data packets he is a critic of overregulation and an advocate of increased competition his writings have appeared in various newspapers and magazines around the world including forbes cnet usa today harvard business review wired and the harvard journal of law and technologydownes held a faculty appointment at the northwestern university school of law from 19982001 where he taught courses on the law of technology he also held a faculty appointment at the booth school of business from 19992000 he was an adjunct professor at the university of california berkeley from 20032006 from 20062010 he was a nonresident fellow at the stanford center for internet and society from 2014 he was appointed a project director at the georgetown center for business and public policys evolution of regulation and innovation project housed at the mcdonough school of business at georgetown university he also serves as research fellow for the accenture institute for high performancedownes received his ba from northwestern university in 1980 with honors in english history and computer science he received his jd with high honors from the university of chicago law school in 1993 from 19931994 he clerked for judge richard posner in the united states court of appeals for the seventh circuit he was also a consultant with andersen consulting now accenture and mckinsey co from 19801990 and was raised in oak park michigan