Andy Grove and the iPhone SE

Andy Grove passed away the same day that Apple announced the iPhone SE. One of Grove’s best decisions reminds me of this launch.

Exponent Podcast: Pickaxe Retailers

On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss The Amazon Tax. Listen to it here.

Instagram’s Algorithmic Feed, Apple and the Cloud, Microsoft and Okta

Instagram is changing the feed, and even though users say they don’t like it it’s the right decision. Plus, why Snapchat may be a threat. Then, two pieces of news about Apple and the cloud, both good and bad. Plus, Microsoft is still competitive, and rightly so.

Dropbox Leaves AWS, Should UPS and Fedex Be Afraid?

In an inconvenient bit of timing Dropbox announced they were leaving AWS just as I was singing its praises; in fact the storage company’s decision reinforces the benefits AWS provides. Then, why Amazon’s move into logistics makes sense, and how it might play out.

The Amazon Tax

Amazon is building a lot of businesses that look like AWS: taxes on major industries that work to everyone’s benefit. The reason, though, is that AWS is a lot like Amazon itself.

WeWork Now Worth $16 Billion, Google Joins Open Compute Project

My attempt last summer to justify WeWork’s $10 billion valuation is looking pretty good, but I’m not sure I can pull off the trick for $16 billion. Plus, the brilliant strategy of Facebook’s Open Compute Project

Exponent Podcast: Is That an Echo?

On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss the Amazon Echo, Apple’s cloudy future, Google’s Missed Opportunity, and why Amazon has so much growth potential ahead of it. Listen to it here.

Microsoft SQL Server to Run on Linux, Box’s Great Quarter

Windows is truly dead at Microsoft, as SQL Server will soon run on Linux. Meanwhile, Box had a great quarter, underlying the fact that SaaS economics work — and what happened to Windows Server helps explain why.