The Disney-21st Century Fox was certainly the biggest acquisition that happened last week, but it wasn’t the only one. Netflix may loom large, but Amazon arguably looms larger.
The Pollyannish Assumption and Bright Lines, YouTube’s Market Power, Google vs Amazon
Society collectively decides what is wrong through laws: that’s a useful bright line for platforms. Then, YouTube is demonstrating its market power, and Google and Amazon are acting like monopolies.
AWS Fargate and Kubernetes Support, Embrace and Extend, AWS’s Execution Advantage
AWS announced Kubernetes support, which seems to fulfill Google’s strategic objectives: strategy without execution, though, can turn the tables.
Netflix Follow-up, Sonos + Alexa, MongoDB IPOs
Netflix cancels its non-evergreen content, and isn’t really relevant to Nielsen. Then, a Sonos and Alexa partnership makes sense for both sides, and MongoDB has a thoroughly modern IPO.
Amazon Studios Shifts Strategy, Spotify and Hulu, Facebook to Spend $1 Billion on Video
Amazon Studios is shifting its strategy, which rationalizes Prime Video; the big winner is Netflix. Then, Spotify makes a smart move with Hulu, while Facebook is resorting to brute force in video.
Amazon’s Second Headquarters, Amazon’s Internal Primitives, Facebook and Political Ads
Amazon is uniquely capable of having a second headquarters, and don’t be surprised if politics influences the choice of location. Then, Facebook should learn from Amazon about picking battles. Plus, a brief preview of Apple’s iPhone event.
Alexa and Cortana, Apple Moves Siri, Tim Cook’s Blindspot
Alexa and Cortana’s partnership makes sense when you consider the company’s business models, goals, and partnership impetus (and it shows why Apple and Google won’t come along). Then, why Siri’s reorganization won’t help much.
Amazon Earnings, Amazon Logistics Services?, Netflix Earnings
A follow-up on The Athletic’s potential and challenges, then Amazon’s earnings and the mystery of its increased investment. Then, a reminder of why Amazon is a threat to Netflix in the long run.
Alexa and Operating Systems, Privacy, and Integration; Spotify Follow-up
Three Alexa stories point towards Amazon’s drive — and challenges — in building the operating system of the home. Then, Spotify doesn’t create fake music, it just gives consumers what they want.
Google’s Precedent Problem, Five Stories In Brief
Leaving aside whether or not the European Commission decision is justifiable, it has been made, and Google has a big problem on its hands. Then, five stories in brief on Amazon, Ransomware, Blue Apron, Nintendo, and car rental companies.