Concepts

Owning Customer Relationship

Companies that win in the Internet era do so by owning the customer relationship, which gives them power over suppliers.

  • Amazon Health doesn’t seem like much now, but there are hints it could be the ultimate application of Aggregation Theory.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.


  • Amazon Health

    Amazon Health doesn’t seem like much now, but there are hints it could be the ultimate application of Aggregation Theory.


  • Amazon Go and the Future

    Amazon Go exemplifies how Amazon is building its monopoly in three ways: horizontally, vertically, and financially. Plus, why automation is worth being optimistic about.


  • Facebook’s Motivations

    The impact of Facebook’s News Feed changes on the media is far less interesting than what the changes — and their stated purpose — say about Facebook itself.


  • AT&T Pulls Out of Huawei Deal, Apple’s Other China Problem, YouTube’s Logan Paul Decision

    AT&T skipped out on its deal with Huawei, reportedly under political pressure. Expect more tech issues between the U.S. and China, and Apple has the most to lose.


  • Disney-Fox Deal Announced, Horizontal Antitrust, Whither Hulu

    The Disney-21st Century Fox deal is official, and the antitrust questions continue to loom large: there are clear issues with regards to a horizontal merger, but is having a vertical competitor to Netflix worth it?


  • Disney and Fox

    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.


  • 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.


  • Disney to Buy 21st Century Fox?, Two Strategies for Content Companies, Netflix and ESPN

    Disney may buy portions of 21st Century Fox; it is a deal that makes a lot of sense for both sides, particularly when you consider how the industry has been fundamentally changed.


  • Tech Goes to Washington

    Facebook, Google, and Twitter testified before a Senate committee: it provided evidence of how tech prefers power over decentralization, even if it means regulation