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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Formula 1 and Netflix, Netflix and Sports, YouTube TV vs. ESPN
The increased popularity of F1 shows how sports can be valuable to Netflix, and why sports remain valuable to Disney.
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The Amazon Empire Strikes Back
Amazon’s logistics investment makes the company increasingly attractive to 3rd party merchants.
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Opendoor Earnings, Opendoor’s Pricing, Opendoor’s Scalability
Opendoor’s results suggest that the problem in the home-buying market was unique to Zillow’s lack of expertise, not the model
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Zillow Shuts Down Offers; Where Zillow Went Wrong; Reflecting on Zillow, Aggregation, and Integration
Zillow is ending Zillow Offers; where did the company go wrong, and what my initial analysis got right, and what I missed.
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Zillow Pauses Home-Buying, Opendoor’s Advantage, Crypto and Energy
Zillow’s halt in buying new homes is a reminder that core competency can out-compete an Aggregator’s advantage; then, feedback on crypto and energy.
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Amazon Buys MGM, The Streaming Opportunity, Anti-Monopoly vs. Antitrust
Amazon’s purchase of MGM makes sense strategically, but also points to bigger ambitions; it also highlights how a lot of antitrust talk is actually anti-monopoly.
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Distribution and Demand
Distribution on the Internet is free; what matters is controlling demand. AT&T and Verizon didn’t understand the distinction.
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Fearing Spotify?, Apple’s Earnings, Margins and Chips
Why I’m not worried about Spotify, plus Apple’s earnings, including why the M1 might be helping margins.
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Spotify’s Surprise
Spotify’s new subscription podcast offerings embrace the open ecosystem of podcasts in multiple ways.