TV Advertising is down, as price increases finally overwhelm the decline in viewers. It’s important to note, though, that sports still matter. This is something the NBA may not completely understand.
Daily Update
Archive of Daily Emails for Stratechery Members
Regulating Demand, Ad Targeting and Unintended Consequences, Expedia CEO Out
Google’s continued dominance may not be intransigence, but rather the difficulty of regulating demand. Then, how Apple helps Google and Facebook, and Barry Diller isn’t blaming Google.
AWS re:Invent; Transformations, Transitions, and Databases; Amazon Outposts
The AWS re:Invent keynote was quite compelling, as Amazon made the case for enterprises to not simply transition to the cloud but to transform their approach to IT — which, of course, favors Amazon.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin Step Down, Why Now?, Google Going Forward
Larry Page and Sergey Brin’s impact on Silicon Valley is incomparable; now, though, they are formalizing a departure that arguably happened years ago. Why now, and what should Alphabet and Google do next?
Facebook Buys Beat Saber, Capital and Copyright, The Oculus Conundrum
Facebook has bought Beat Games, a company of the future, and not just because they made a game for VR. Then, why it is the old world that needs capital, and why Oculus is still confusing strategically.
Airbnb Losses, Airbnb and The Google Squeeze, Airbnb’s Marketing Spend
Airbnb is losing money, thanks to a big increase in marketing. It matters greatly what that marketing is for.
PayPal Acquires Honey, What Honey Is, PayPal’s Play
PayPal bought Honey, which is best known as a browser extension. What does this mean for both end users and merchants, and which is more important?
Trump Visits Mac Pro Factory, Apple’s Tariffs, Apple Versus GitHub
Trump visited the Mac Pro factory, and people are disappointed in Tim Cook. First off, tariffs are certainly the driving fact, but I am disappointed too, for different reasons than most.
Recode Recap: John Stankey of WarnerMedia, Kevin Mayer of Disney
Highlights from Recode Media interviews of Warner Media’s John Stankey and Disney’s Kevin Mayer, including an extended discussion on sports.
Integration and Monopoly Follow-Up, Apple Paternalism, TikTok and CFIUS
More on Apple and restrictions on competition, and why it is different than Google. Then, Apple’s actions around vaping cross the line, plus why TikTok does not deserve the benefit of the doubt.