More on Senator Warren’s tech antitrust proposal, why regulatory focus should be on contracts, and why 3rd-parties benefit from Amazon Marketplace.
Daily Update
Archive of Daily Emails for Stratechery Members
Airbnb Acquires HotelTonight, Supply Versus Demand, The HotelTonight Proposition
Airbnb has acquired Hotel Tonight, three years too late. The question is whether Airbnb wants to own a subset of the travel market, or the whole thing — and abandon its view of itself.
Zillow Changes CEOs, An Interview with Zillow CEO Rich Barton
Zillow has changed CEOs, which makes sense given the change in the company’s business model. Then, an interview with new CEO and Zillow co-founder Rich Barton.
Lyft’s S-1, Demand > Supply, Lyft Concerns
Lyft’s S-1 is out, confirming some suspicions about the ride-sharing market, and raising questions about others. The big question: can Lyft get leverage on its costs, or is Uber better placed?
Changes at HBO, AT&T’s Strategic Rationale, HBO’s Differentiation
There are changes afoot at HBO, driven by AT&T’s desire to compete with Netflix; that, though, risks HBO’s differentiation.
Box Earnings, Box’s Microsoft Problem, Dropbox Earnings
Box’s earnings are being framed in the context of Dropbox, but the real competitor is Microsoft. Dropbox, meanwhile, is charting a different path.
The AWS Question, Facebook and Unity, HoloLens 2
How Amazon’s success with AWS make sense in the context of The Value Chain Constraint, and why Oculus and Facebook do not. Plus, why Microsoft’s approach to HoloLens 2 makes sense.
Walmart Earnings, Walmart’s Grocery Business, Amazon’s Grocery Stumbles
Walmart’s earning suggest that the company’s online grocery business is doing well, even while Amazon struggles. This is not a surprise, given the two companies points of integration.
Nest’s Secret Microphone, YouTube and the Pollyanish Assumption — Again, Pinterest and Anti-Vaxxers
Nest’s secret microphone shows that privacy still isn’t a priority at Google, and there is a connection to YouTube’s latest scandal. Then, what Pinterest gets right about a very hard problem.
An Update on the Battle for the Home, Apple’s Strategy Credit — and Tax, The Data Strategy Credit
An update on the Battle for the Home, and why Apple’s hesitance around data is both a credit and a tax — and the opposite for Google.