It seems that Uber is doing far better in China than expected. How is the company succeeding where other western companies have failed, and is their success sustainable? Plus fundraising news from Uber’s biggest competitor, and some amazing numbers about China’s scale.
2015
Exponent Podcast: An Exhausting Week
On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss Dick Costolo stepping down as CEO of Twitter, Apple’s seeming war on Google, and the concerning launch of Apple Music. Listen to it here.
Dick Costolo Out as Twitter CEO, Costolo’s Key Shortcoming, Twitter’s Next CEO
Dick Costolo is out as Twitter’s CEO, a shocking but unsurprising outcome. This update examines why he had to go, as well as why this week’s Twitter product announcements expose the biggest shortcoming of his tenure. Finally, I examine the necessary qualities for Twitter’s next CEO and who might make sense.
Battle of the Box, Updated; Apple Enables Ad-Blockers
A year ago I compared and contrasted Box and Dropbox; both have taken very different paths over the last year, and in light of Box’s earnings and recent Dropbox news I check back in on their progress. Also, Apple and ad-blockers.
The News App, Open Source Swift, Additional Notes from the WWDC Keynote
This update touches on why Apple Music may be a much bigger deal than I suggested, and the moves on to all the other important announcements from Apple WWDC keynote. This includes the News app, open-source Swift, and more.
Apple Music and Apple’s Focus
Apple Music was a muddled mess, which raised the question of why it exists in the first place. Is it important anymore? More importantly, is Apple having trouble remembering how to focus?
Apple and Privacy Follow-up, The Top 100 Retailers and Apple Pay, Android Pay’s Missing Bank Fee
More on the difference between privacy and security, and why precision in language is critical.
Exponent Podcast: Apple, Google, and Privacy
On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss Jony Ive’s promotion, the future of Apple, Google I/O, and Tim Cook’s speech on privacy. Listen to it here.
Tim Cook’s Unfair and Unrealistic Privacy Speech, Strategy Credits, The Privacy Priority Problem
Tim Cook, by wrongly accusing Google and Facebook of “selling data”, is making discussions about privacy more difficult. Plus, Apple’s privacy Strategy Credit.
Daum Kakao Buys Path, Amazon’s Funnel, More from Mary Meeker
Messaging apps are great examples of the power of funnels, and of how difficult they are to build. Meanwhile, Amazon expands and leverages theirs, plus my five favorite Mary Meeker slides.