On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss Disney and Fox. Listen to it here.
December 2017
Facebook and Age Discrimination, Apple Slows Down iPhones?, 2017: When Tech Grew Up
Facebook is accused of abetting age discrimination, which raises many of 2017’s most prominent themes. So does the news that Apple slows down iPhones.
The 2017 Stratechery Year in Review
The most popular and most important posts on Stratechery in 2017.
Target Buys Shipt, Why Target?, The Expansion of Amazon Basics
The Disney-21st Century Fox was certainly the biggest acquisition that happened last week, but it wasn’t the only one. Netflix may loom large, but Amazon arguably looms larger.
Disney-Fox Deal Announced, Horizontal Antitrust, Whither Hulu
The Disney-21st Century Fox deal is official, and the antitrust questions continue to loom large: there are clear issues with regards to a horizontal merger, but is having a vertical competitor to Netflix worth it?
Patreon Reverses Itself, The Patreon Backstory and the Reality of Fees, Patreon’s Mistake
Patreon recently changed its fee structure — and then changed it back. The problem is rooted in Patreon’s history and it its misunderstanding of the value chain in which it operates.
Regional Sports Networks, ESPN + RSNs, TechDirt’s Response on Title II and Net Neutrality
Understanding regional sports networks, and why they make sense with ESPN — but why ESPN makes less and less sense with Disney. Then, a brief — and final — follow-up on Title II and Net Neutrality.
Disney and Fox
Disney’s rumored acquisition of 21st Century Fox is all about competing with Netflix; whether or not that is a good thing depends on your frame of reference.
Snapchat’s Redesign, Spiegel’s New (Old) Vision, Tencent and Spotify
Snap has a more cogent vision than the one it presented in its S-1; the problem is it might be too late. Tencent, meanwhile, fresh off its Snap investment has picked up a piece of Spotify.
Exponent Podcast: Human Problems
On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss The Pollyannish Assumption. Listen to it here.