Google A/I suggests that AI is a sustaining innovation for all of Big Tech; that means the real battle will be between incumbents and Big Tech on one side, and open source on the other.
Shopify Exits Logistics, The Shopify Logistics Side Quest, Whither Buy with Prime
Shopify is getting out of logistics, after a confusing four year journey for both the company and myself; now it has to figure out how to respond to Buy with Prime.
BuzzFeed Shutters News, Startups and the R&D Tax Credit
BuzzFeed finally pulls the plug on news; fortunately I already wrote a mea culpa. Then, a little-known tax change is a big problem for tech startups in particular.
AI, NIL, and Zero Trust Authenticity
AI-generated content is not going to harm those with the capability of breaking through: it will make them stronger, aided by Zero Trust Authenticity
Lyft’s Founders Exit, Uber Driver Improvements, Wrong About Aggregation
Uber appears to finally have the upper hand in its battle with Lyft, thanks to its focus on drivers; this shows they were never an Aggregator in the first place.
Substack Notes, Twitter Blocks Substack, Substack Versus Writers
Substack launched a Twitter competitor, and Twitter responded, in a predictable way. The real losers were writers, who were bound to be de-prioritized by Substack eventually.
[FREE] The Accidental Consumer Tech Company; ChatGPT, Meta, and Product-Market Fit; Aggregation and APIs
OpenAI is a consumer tech company, whether they intended to or not (and in contrast to Meta’s Reality Labs). Both Microsoft and OpenAI should act accordingly.
Spotify’s New Home Page, Categorizing Advertising, Spotify’s Competition for Discovery
Spotify announced a new home page, which makes sense both in isolation and in the context of Spotify’s competition with YouTube.
The End of Silicon Valley (Bank)
Silicon Valley Bank bears responsibility for its demise, but it symbolizes a Silicon Valley reality that is very different from the myth — and the ultimate cause is tech itself.
An Interview with John Kosner About the Past and Future of Sports in an Age of Abundance
An interview with former ESPN executive John Kosner about building ESPN.com, the impact of the Internet on sports, managing Bill Simmons, and sports and the next generation.