The Supreme Court has issued a decision about patents that is genuinely good news, both in the short term and potentially the long term. Plus, it also benefits Apple in their dispute Qualcomm.
2017
Blue Apron Files for IPO, Network Effects and Customer Acquisition Costs, Uber Concerns
Blue Apron’s S-1 raises some red flags about unit economics and lifetime value; Uber, meanwhile, lost its CFO, who suggested the company is missing some key financial controls
Faceless Publishers, Take 2; Internet Trends 2017
Defining faceless publishers is perhaps easier by describing what they are not; then, my favorite slides from Mary Meeker’s 2017 Internet Trends Report
Faceless Publishers
The missing piece when it comes to the future of media are faceless publishers. Vox Media’s deal with The Ringer shows the way.
Exponent Podcast: Blockchain Beauty Contest
On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss Tulips, Myths, and Cryptocurrencies. Listen to it here.
Facebook Content Guidelines, Facebook Video, Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV
Facebook faces a daunting challenge when it comes to policing content, but it is a challenge the company brought on itself. Then, Facebook’s video tab is competing against YouTube, not Amazon or Netflix, and business models explain why — and probably explain the Amazon-Apple truce.
Ford Fires CEO, Car Companies and the Future, Anthony Levandowski vs. Google
Ford has a new CEO, and it probably doesn’t have much to do with the tech industry. That said, what car companies are best placed for the future? Plus, 100x engineers and the problem of culture.
Tulips, Myths, and Cryptocurrencies
Did you hear the one about the tulip bubble? It’s almost certainly a myth. It is myths, though, that explain why cryptocurrencies are here to stay.
Second-Generation TensorFlow Processing Units, What are TPUs?, Groq
Perhaps the most interesting announcement at Google I/O were the second generation Tensor Processing Units and their integration into Google’s cloud. Plus, a competitor looms.
Exponent Podcast: Business Matters
On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss Boring Google. Listen to it here.