Zenefits fired its CEO after violating a number of regulations, and many people are drawing a connection to Uber. In fact, I think the situations are quite different; understanding why gives a framework for thinking about regulation.
February 2016
Exponent Podcast: You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss The Reality of Missing Out. Listen to it here.
Twitter Earnings; Twitter Retrenches; Facebook, Andreessen and India
Twitter’s earnings had good and bad parts, and one big red flag. More interesting was the company’s decision to retrench and own “live.” Then, how Facebook and Marc Andreessen managed to screw up so badly.
Follow-up, Snapchat’s Deal with Viacom, Verizon Exploring Yahoo Purchase, Disney
Follow-up on The Reality of Missing Out, including why I’m worried about Pinterest. Than, why I’m a bit wary of Snapchat’s deal with Viacom, but a believer in the idea of Verizon buying Yahoo. Finally, a reiteration of my Disney optimism.
The Reality of Missing Out
Tech is entering a period of inequality where the big winners lift the sector as a whole even as smaller companies suffer. The best example is Facebook, Google, and digital advertising.
Why I Stand by Peak Google, Amazon is Fine, More Amazon Stores?
Google had great earnings again, and was briefly the most valuable company in the world. That doesn’t change my opinions in Peak Google. Then, Amazon lost the expectations game, but the underlying business continues to look great. Plus, a theory about those rumored Amazon stores.
Ben Bajarin: The Beginning of the End of Qualcomm, The Disruptive Nature of ARM
Ben is on vacation so today’s Daily Update guest writer is Ben Bajarin. One of Ben’s many responsibilities is consulting for the chip industry, and today he shares his pessimism about Qualcomm.
Ellen Chisa: Crowdfunding and the Internet, An Overview of Crowdfunding Platforms, Creating a Sustainable Crowdfunding Platform
Ben is on vacation so today’s Daily Update guest writer is Ellen Chisa. Ellen is a former product manager at Kickstarter and is writing an overview of crowdfunding.
Semil Shah: How FANGAM Impacts Startups, How Startups Adjust to FANGAM, Investing in a FANGAM World
Ben is on vacation, so Semil Shah wrote a guest post about startups in a world dominated by FANGAM: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google, Apple, and Microsoft.
Josh Horwitz: Uber in China, What Uber Got Right, Is Second Place Winning?
Ben is on vacation; in a guest post, Josh Horwitz explores Uber in China. What did they get right that so many other Western companies get wrong, and is it sustainable? What if they are only ever second place?