The spate of recent acquisitions in the gaming space — Take-Two and Zynga, Microsoft and Activision, and Sony and Bungie — make sense in the context of the Smiling Curve.
[FREE] Netflix Follow-Up, The Senate Tech Bill
More on Netflix’s earnings and valuation, and three observations about the tech competition bill being encouraged in the Senate.
Where Are Hit Podcasts?, Spotify and Podcast Aggregation, Protesting Rogan
Why there aren’t any new podcasts in the top 10, and why the podcast market looks like websites and YouTube. Plus, why Spotify’s approach benefits most, for now.
OpenSea, Web3, and Aggregation Theory
OpenSea is positioned as another Aggregator, which is evidence that Web 3 is a layer on top of the Internet, not a replacement.
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.
The Amazon Empire Strikes Back
Amazon’s logistics investment makes the company increasingly attractive to 3rd party merchants.
Spotify’s Earnings; Spotify’s Podcast Payoff; Universal, Taylor Swift, and Internet Power
Spotify’s earnings show that their strategy is working exactly as predicted; then, Universal is responding to Taylor Swift’s leveraging of Internet power.
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
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.
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.