An Interview with Sinocism’s Bill Bishop about COVID-19, U.S.-China Relations, and media entrepreneurship in the dotcom bubble and today.
Daily Update
Archive of Daily Emails for Stratechery Members
Bob Iger Steps Down From Disney, Why Now?, Why Bob Chapek?
It was a huge surprise that Bob Iger was stepping down as Disney’s CEO, but the rationale makes a lot of sense, as does the timing and replacement.
Morgan Stanley Acquires E*Trade, Intuit Reportedly Acquiring Credit Karma, User Acquisition and Market Power
Morgan Stanley acquired E*Trade, and Intuit is reportedly acquiring Credit Karma; both are about improving customer acquisition, but the competitive impacts differ.
Apple’s Investor Warning, Foxconn’s Investor Warning, An Interview with Dan Wang
Apple issued its second revenue warning in two years, and while the circumstances were very different, both were about China. Then, Foxconn is diversifying — will that speed up? Plus, an interview with Dan Wang about supply chains in China.
The Rationale Behind the Daily Update Podcast, Podcasts and Email, Spotify and the Three Bens
An explanation of the strategy undergirding the Daily Update Podcast, how the implementation fits into that strategy, and how Spotify’s podcast strategy impacts Stratechery’s approach.
DOJ Public Workshop on Venture Capital and Antitrust
Video of Ben’s appearance on a panel for a Public Workshop on Venture Capital and Antitrust hosted by the Department of Justice
Brandless Closes, The DTC Facebook Challenge, DTC Versus Softbank
Brandless is closing down, which is being spun into a commentary on Softbank. This is fair, but the bigger takeaway is about DTC broadly.
The Corona Virus Whistleblowers; NBA Salary Cap Decreases; Apple, Benefits, and Risks
The Coronavirus continues to spread in China, even as reports emerge of why it was not dealt with in time to make a difference, reframing the costs of authoritarianism.
Spotify Earnings, Podcasts and Lifetime Value, The Ringer Acquisition
Spotify’s mixed earnings, why podcasts are uniquely valuable to the company, and where The Ringer fits in.
The Iowa Fiasco, The Best Feature, Three Lessons
The fiasco surround the Iowa caucuses is an occasion to learn three lessons: what is a tech company, technology is hard, and why Facebook is like Microsoft.