Owning Customer Relationship
Companies that win in the Internet era do so by owning the customer relationship, which gives them power over suppliers.
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Amazon Health doesn’t seem like much now, but there are hints it could be the ultimate application of Aggregation Theory.
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Disney’s rumored acquisition of 21st Century Fox is all about competing with Netflix; whether or not that is a good thing depends on your frame of reference.
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The Internet has removed scarcity, meaning business models based on controlling distribution are no longer viable. Instead, the key to success is controlling access to the best customers — and that means being the best.
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Uber’s Bundles
Uber had a good strategy, but its crisis meant Lyft had new life and the strategy was no longer workable. Now the company is pursuing something new, even though it is more complicated.
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Fortnite’s Bad Bug, Epic’s Complaint, The Downside of Open
Fortnite has a bad bug, and while the company is being blamed for circumventing the Play Store, Android’s design is a big part of the problem.
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Fortnite Skips Google Play, Netflix Explores Bypassing iTunes, Big Names and Long Tails
Fortnite is skipping out on Google Play, and Netflix is trying to get out of the App Store. That’s not great for Apple and Google, but the effort is hardly a surprise.
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Sonos’ IPO, The De-Integration of Sonos, Spotify Earnings
Sonos will begin trading today, but it faces a tough road without meaningful integration. Spotify faces a difficult road too: it is interesting to think about what they would look like together (even though it won’t happen).
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Android-EU Follow-Up, Google Earnings, Facebook and the Stock Market
Follow-up on Google’s EU decision, and a reminder that Google really good for consumers. Then, Google’s strong quarterly results, and why the understanding Facebook’s strategic advantages may be divorces from their stock price.
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The European Commission Versus Android
Examining the history of Android explains why the European Commission may be right to fine Google for its actions around Android, even as the reasoning feels off.
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The Cost of Developers
Microsoft paid a lot for GitHub, because it had to pay directly for access to developers. It doesn’t have the leverage of users the way that Apple does on the App Store.