Aggregation Theory
Aggregation Theory provides a framework to understand the impact of the Internet on nearly all industries.
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Zillow fits the description of an aggregator, but it hasn’t transformed its industry due to a lack of integration. Now it is trying to do exactly that.
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Facebook is in trouble — again — for Russian ads about the election; figuring out how to deal with them requires first understanding that Facebook, like Google, is a Super-Aggregator. It faces zero transaction costs…
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An apolitical analysis of what is happening in U.S. politics through the lens of Aggregation Theory
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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.
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The disruption caused by the Internet in industry after industry has a common theoretical basis described by Aggregation Theory.
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Uber and Yandex; Grab Raises $2 Billion; Softbank, Ride-Sharing, and Capital
Uber has made a deal in Russia that, to the extent it approximates China, is a great idea. However, the company may soon be knocked out of Southeast Asia: capital is the ultimate aggregator.
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Music Versus Publishing, Spotify’s Increasing Power
News publishers may want to emulate the music industry, but the only similarities that matter work in favor of the aggregators, not suppliers. Spotify is the perfect example.
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Publishers and the Pursuit of the Past
The newspaper industry is seeking an antitrust provision to negotiate for a return to a world that is gone and never coming back; worse, it is an approach that could ruin publishing’s true future.
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Ends, Means, and Antitrust
Google is a monopoly, and almost certainly a bad actor: shopping, though, is a terrible example that shows how regulators can go wrong.
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Amazon’s New Customer
The key to understanding Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods is to understand that Amazon didn’t buy a retailer: the company bought a customer.
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Podcasts, Analytics, and Centralization
The answer to podcast monetization is not analytics: it it true centralization, and it seems unlikely that Apple has it in them.
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Tulips, Myths, and Cryptocurrencies
Did you hear the one about the tulip bubble? It’s almost certainly a myth. It is myths, though, that explain why cryptocurrencies are here to stay.
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Amazon Shutters Quidsi, Amazon and CPG Companies, Amazon and Wal-Mart
Amazon is shutting down Quidsi, and taking the fight for CPG goods to Wal-Mart.
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Intel, Mobileye, and Smiling Curves
Intel is buying Mobileye; it’s an acquisition that makes sense once you realize how much value there is in components.