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Articles

  • Portability and Interoperability

    Data portability is friendly to consumers, but it has very little to do with encouraging competition, at least relative to interoperability.

  • Integration and Monopoly

    Apple has won through integration, but integration combined with network effects and economies of scale can result in bad outcomes that look a lot like monopolies.

  • The Google Squeeze

    Google, the real Aggregator, is squeezing OTAs, which acted like Aggregators while depending on Google for demand. It’s easy to say Google is being unfair, but this may be better for consumers.

  • Tech and Liberty

    The First Amendment is not about a law, but rather a culture — specifically a culture of liberty. It is essential to tech, and in this context, Facebook is mostly right about political ads (but can still do better).

  • The Internet and the Third Estate

    Mark Zuckerberg suggested that social media is a “Fifth Estate”; in fact, social media is a means by which the Third Estate — commoners — can seize political power. Here history matters.

  • Google and Ambient Computing

    Google presented a vision of ambient computing that goes beyond the smartphone. The company is well-placed, but faces challenges both in the marketplace and in the mirror.

  • The China Cultural Clash

    The NBA controversy in China highlights a culture clash that both tech companies and the U.S. government need to take to heart. Plus, why Tiktok being Chinese is increasingly a problem.

  • Beachheads and Obstacles

    Facebook and Amazon had events on the same day for Oculus and Alexa. Both are driven by lessons from the mobile era, but Amazon seems to have learned more than Facebook.

  • Neither, and New: Lessons from Uber and Vision Fund

    Uber represents something new: a company that is different than incumbents because of technology, yet not itself a tech company — just like the Venture Fund is not a VC.

  • Day Two to One Day

    Amazon.com was showing signs of being a Day Two company, including the alleged manipulation of search. There is reason, though, to be optimistic that the company has gotten back to Day One. Plus, where are the other big tech companies?