How Apple Got Its Name

Obamacare is the law. It's official: After decades of debate, a universal health care reform package was signed by President Obama yesterday. There's still wrangling in the Senate over the reconciliation package, but the basics are a done deal. Inc. contributor Robb Mandelbaum has a nice blog post over at the New York Times that explains why most businesses probably don't have much to fear about the new law. Meanwhile, there's an interesting debate going on about what the health care reform package means for entrepreneurs who have yet to start a business. Some argue it will encourage people to quit their jobs and get started, since they won't have to worry about not having health insurance. Others say health insurance wasn't a barrier to entrepreneurship in the first place. What do you think?

How Apple and Intel got their names. Business Insider looks at 13 technology powerhouses to find out how the companies got their names. After running three months late to file its trademark, Steve Jobs told his co-founders to come up with a better name by the end of the day or he'd go with Apple. Intel's co-founders really wanted to call their baby Moore Noyce (after their names), but a hotel chain had already trademarked it. Sony was meant to appeal to Americans--a nod to "sonny boy," which was a phrase that was popular in Japan during the 1950s.

Y Combinator start-ups attract the rich and almost-famous Paul Graham's business school cum investment fund, Y Combinator, just held its tenth demo day. Twenty-four start-ups strutted their stuff before Google executives, VCs, and Ashton Kutcher. The Twitter video entrepreneur and star of That 70's Show says he came to see "what the future looks like," according to the San Jose Mercury News. To judge from the start-ups that presented, the future includes Web video, social games, and organizing digital data.

Curt Schilling plays hard ball over business tax breaks. Ex-Red Sox pitcher and--who knew?--video-game entrepreneur, Curt Schilling, is making waves in Boston. Schilling has threatened to move his four-year-old company out of Massachusetts to any other state that puts together the most attractive tax-incentive program. According to the Boston Globe, Schilling has confirmed that he's in preliminary talks with Rhode Island officials to move his company, 38 Studios, to the Ocean State. Schilling is also testing the free-agency market with a number of other economic-development officials who are eager to woo the 167-employee company to their state. As Schilling states, "We're hearing from states that don't have programs talking about putting programs in place for us." Of course, like every free agent in the midst of contract negotiations, Schilling says he would prefer his company to stay in Massachusetts...as long as the money's right. As he says, "This is where we started. This is where we want to be."

Inside an acquisition. For years, Darryl Ohrt, the founder of the ad agency Plaid, turned down offer after offer to buy his business. But, as he writes for AdAge, this time was different. Here's the inside look at why this offer was right and what he's learned in the process. (Which reminds us of this classic Bo Burlingham feature on the sale of our own magazine in 2005.)

Tumblr gets a business model. Pop the Champaign and buy yourself a custom theme. Tumbler's first attempt to make some money off of its wildly popular blogging platform involves a twist on Apple's iPhone app store. The company is allowing anyone to sell premium designs to Tumblr bloggers (prices range from $9 to $49). Valleywag is impressed, but snarkily so.

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Senior contributing writer Max Chafkin has profiled companies such as Yelp, Zappos, Twitter, Threadless, and Tesla for the magazine. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. @chafkin