The U.S. government banned companies from selling to ZTE for issues unrelated to the current trade war; that may not much matter, and Apple and other U.S. tech companies could soon feel the pain.
The Difference Between Google and Facebook, Facebook’s Pedantry, Facebook and the Value of Data
More on the fallout from Facebook and Cambridge Analytica: why Google and Facebook are different, why that explains how they treat data, and why Facebook seems so oblivious.
The Facebook Brand
The Facebook brand is, due to Facebook’s strategic choices, about not respecting privacy. That is why the Cambridge Analytica story is such a problem for the company.
Google Sells Zagat to The Infatuation, The Infatuation and Zagat, More on Google and AMP
A review of why Google bought Zagat, what The Infatuation might do with the review site, and the parallels with the AMP project.
The Athletic Raises $20 Million, Four Stories on Tech and Politics
The Athletic is right to go for it, and raise more VC money. Then, tech and politics is only becoming more complicated as national security concerns enter the debate.
More Spotify; Spotify, Uber, and Airbnb; Uber, Waymo, and SoftBank
A bit more on Spotify, and then the lessons to be learned by Uber and Spotify. Plus, a potential Uber-Waymo partnership, and why they company will likely sell-out in Southeast Asia.
More on Chrome and AMP, The Case Against Google, Decentralization and Paradigm Shifts
More on Chrome and AMP, and what The Case Against Google gets wrong about Microsoft. Then, why decentralized networks are aggregator kryptonite.
The Aggregator Paradox
Google is winning with AMP and blocking ads in Chrome: both seem bad, but aren’t they actually good for consumers? That is the paradox of aggregation.
Shipping With Amazon, FBA Onsite, Uber and Waymo Settle
Amazon is unsurprisingly moving into logistics. It is another announcement, though, that explains the orthogonal way they are doing so. Then, Uber and Waymo settle in a win-win.
Google Earnings, Amazon Earnings
Google gives greater clarity to its acquisition costs, and cloud continues to grow. Amazon, though, still has a big lead, funding the rest of the company (still).