AWS has long been a question mark when it comes to Amazon: it’s a good idea, and it makes money, but like it’s parent company, will it ever be profitable? The revelation that AWS is already very profitable indeed is a really big deal both for AWS but also for Amazon itself.
2015
Welcome to Stratechery 3.0
Welcome to Stratechery 3.0! Stratechery 1.0 was the launch of this blog in March 2013; Stratechery 2.0 the launch of the Daily Update in April 2014. Stratechery 3.0 is perhaps less transformative from a business perspective, but it’s a substantial reworking of the technological underpinnings of Stratechery that should put the site in a good place to both scale more reliably and support new initiatives down the road. This update is about the changes, why I made them, and how you can provide feedback.
LinkedIn Misses, Sony’s Retreat
Good morning, The promised update to Stratechery is imminent — if all goes well, it will happen in the next 24 hours. I will include more details in tomorrow update, but the primary impact on subscribers is minimal. Specifically: Your Stratechery login will be your email address, not your old username The first time youSubscribe […]
Podcast: Exponent 044 – Up in the Clouds with Twitter
On the newest episode of Exponent, the podcast I co-host with James Allworth: In this week’s episode James and I discuss why Twitter needs new leadership, its massive potential, and why Google probably should acquire it Links Ben Thompson: Twitter Needs New Leadership – Stratechery Ben Thompson: Twitter’s Marketing Problem – Stratechery Ben Thompson: Facebook […]
Twitter Follow-up, Microsoft’s Build Keynote
Good morning, Just a reminder, there will be no Daily Update tomorrow, as I will be traveling with my family. In addition, the plan is to launch an updated design of Stratechery, along with a brand new membership system, and a Discourse-based discussion forum this coming Monday. There shouldn’t be any interruption in the dailySubscribe […]
Twitter Needs New Leadership
Yesterday Twitter released very disappointing quarterly results, with misses on both user and revenue growth. From the Wall Street Journal: Twitter Inc. delivered its weakest quarterly revenue growth as a publicly traded company, casting a shadow on its fledgling advertising business, which until now has been a consistent bright spot. Investors, who sent the company’s […]
Apple, China, and the Upper Middle Class; Apple Earnings; Apple Pay Coming to Best Buy
Good morning, A heads-up that there will be no Daily Update this Friday, May 1, as I will be taking the day off to go on a weekend trip with my family. On to the update: Apple, China, and the Upper Middle Class Apple had another record quarter, thanks primarily to China. I appreciated theSubscribe […]
Getting Amazon (Partly) Wrong, Xiaomi in India
Good morning, I had a terrible weekend. I’ll explain why — on to the update: Getting Amazon (Partly) Wrong Back up to Friday: I was pretty pumped about Amazon’s AWS numbers at first glance, but then, while writing last Friday’s update decided they weren’t so good after all. In the process I did mess upSubscribe […]
Exponent: Project Fi and Facebook’s Feed
On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss Facebook and the Feed. Listen to it here.
Daily Update: Amazon, Microsoft, and Google Earnings
Good morning, The earnings onslaught continues. On to the update: Amazon Earnings Amazon’s management did a better job of avoiding income taxes this quarter: the company is back to its usual — and surely intentional — loss-making ways. From The Wall Street Journal: The Seattle company reported a loss despite rapidly rising sales, as itSubscribe […]