Jeff Bezos gave a great interview at the Code Conference, and while the whole thing is worth watching, I wanted to highlight a few items that touched on Stratechery topics. Plus, three recent Amazon stories that show how the company is winning.
Amazon Private Label, Facebook Audience Network Adds Video Ads
The idea of private labels aren’t new, but Amazon is uniquely positioned to profit from them. Then, the Facebook Audience Network is getting some deserved attention
Defending Facebook, Amazon Video Direct
The actual details of the Facebook Trending News scandal probably don’t warrant the outrage; what is more interesting is how Facebook found itself in hot water. Then, Amazon Video Direct is very interesting, but not because it’s going to be a YouTube competitor anytime soon.
Amazon Earnings, Amazon’s Cloud War
Amazon’s earnings were even better than reported: it looks like the retail business is gaining real economies of scale, and AWS was even stronger than it appeared.
Dropbox Leaves AWS, Should UPS and Fedex Be Afraid?
In an inconvenient bit of timing Dropbox announced they were leaving AWS just as I was singing its praises; in fact the storage company’s decision reinforces the benefits AWS provides. Then, why Amazon’s move into logistics makes sense, and how it might play out.
The Amazon Tax
Amazon is building a lot of businesses that look like AWS: taxes on major industries that work to everyone’s benefit. The reason, though, is that AWS is a lot like Amazon itself.
Amazon Echo Expands, The Nest Failure, Microsoft and Slack
There are a lot of useful lessons to draw from Amazon Echo’s early success, particularly when placed in contrast to Google’s Nest. Microsoft should pay heed if in fact they had a chance to buy Slack.
Why I Stand by Peak Google, Amazon is Fine, More Amazon Stores?
Google had great earnings again, and was briefly the most valuable company in the world. That doesn’t change my opinions in Peak Google. Then, Amazon lost the expectations game, but the underlying business continues to look great. Plus, a theory about those rumored Amazon stores.
Semil Shah: How FANGAM Impacts Startups, How Startups Adjust to FANGAM, Investing in a FANGAM World
Ben is on vacation, so Semil Shah wrote a guest post about startups in a world dominated by FANGAM: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google, Apple, and Microsoft.
The FANG Playbook
The FANG companies — Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google — are far more similar than you might think. Their rise in value is no accident, and it is connected to Aggregation Theory.