On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss Lessons From Spotify. Listen to it here.
2018
The Athletic Raises $20 Million, Four Stories on Tech and Politics
The Athletic is right to go for it, and raise more VC money. Then, tech and politics is only becoming more complicated as national security concerns enter the debate.
More Spotify; Spotify, Uber, and Airbnb; Uber, Waymo, and SoftBank
A bit more on Spotify, and then the lessons to be learned by Uber and Spotify. Plus, a potential Uber-Waymo partnership, and why they company will likely sell-out in Southeast Asia.
Could Spotify Be Netflix?, Calculating Spotify’s LTV and CAC
Spotify is in a much weaker position that Netflix was, because it could not build up a user base before negotiating with its suppliers. However, the company does seem to be acquiring customers efficiently.
Lessons From Spotify
Spotify has a marginal cost problem, but while the cause is unique to Spotify, the challenges are more applicable than it seems.
Exponent Podcast: Dilly-Dallying Dropbox
On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss The Dropbox Comp. Listen to it here.
Ring, Alarm.com, and Bottom-up Ecosystem Building; Dropbox and Timing; Apple, China, Microsoft, the United States
More follow-up on both Ring/Amazon and Dropbox, then why Apple in China explains why the Supreme Court should rule in favor or tech companies.
Amazon Buys Ring, Ring’s Exit, Amazon’s Strategy and the Integration of the Home
Amazon is buying Ring: it makes sense for the latter to sell, and while the reasons for the former to buy are less obvious, they are equally compelling.
Dropbox’s Cost of Revenue, Cost of Revenue and Churn, Cloudy Dropbox
Dropbox’s falling cost of revenue has received a lot of attention, but absent more data, the trend appears unsustainable — just a company getting ready to go public.
The Dropbox Comp
Dropbox has filed its S-1, but comparisons with Box, Atlassian, and Slack demonstrate how difficult it is to tell just how good its business is.