Tech generally and Apple in particular has reason to be concerned about Trump’s recent appointments; the company would be the biggest loser in any trade dispute
2016
The 2016 Stratechery Year in Review
The top posts on Stratechery in 2016
Uber Losses (But China Gains?), Uber and Unit Economics, Reconsidering Uber
New Uber financials have leaked, showing more losses but perhaps unexpected gains in China. However, while it’s hard to gain insight without a view into Uber’s unit economics, that doesn’t mean the company shouldn’t be questioned.
Super Mario Run, Nintendo’s Bad Reviews, Apple’s App Store Failures
Super Mario Run is a great game that is getting bad reviews that are ultimately Apple’s fault. The company needs to make the App Store much more developer-friendly
Exponent Podcast: Shattered Glass
On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss Opendoor: A Startup Worth Emulating. Listen to it here.
Tech and Trump: The Meeting, Google Self-Driving Cars = Waymo, Uber Deploys Self-Driving Cars in San Francisco
The rhetoric of the president-elect in his meeting with technology executives was more worrying that it appears. Then, Google is forcing its self-driving car initiative to actually build a business, while Uber launches self-driving cars in San Francisco in the most Uber way possible.
Tech and Trump, Tech and Politics
Tech executives are meeting with Trump, and it’s the right decision; now is the time, though, to establish the conditions when opposition is appropriate. Then, why technologists should not outsource politics.
The State of Technology at the End of 2016
The annual Stratechery review of the state of technology, and call to build products that unlock human potential
Slack + G Suite; Facebook Facing Board Lawsuit; Yik Yak Layoffs
Slack + G Suite is intriguing, but is it the end of the story for Slack and identity? Then, a new lawsuit against Facebook is a reminder that no outside entity has any leverage over the social network. Plus, how Snapchat took Yik Yak’s market and why it was still worth investing in.
Opendoor Follow-up, Fitbit Buys Pebble Assets, GoPro Closes Entertainment Unit
The point of writing about Opendoor was to praise the ambition for the very reason that it might not work. Then, hardware continues to be hard: Pebble is out of business, and GoPro is in very big trouble.