Follow-up on Microsoft and IBM, including why Steve Ballmer deserves more credit than I gave him. Then, Facebook’s earnings and the reluctance to admit to pricing power, and why Instagram Stories are more innovative than Snapchat Stories
Google Earnings, Google Cloud Growth?, Microsoft’s Milestone
Google had great earnings again, although the usual questions — and a new one, about Google Cloud — remain unanswered. Then, Microsoft returned to annual revenue growth, an impressive milestone in the company’s turnaround.
Facebook Messenger Rolling Out Ads, Facebook’s Product Development Strategy, How Should Messenger Monetize?
Facebook Messenger is rolling out display ads that feel like a shortcut to monetization, a discouraging sign for both the short and long term.
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.
Google’s Precedent Problem, Five Stories In Brief
Leaving aside whether or not the European Commission decision is justifiable, it has been made, and Google has a big problem on its hands. Then, five stories in brief on Amazon, Ransomware, Blue Apron, Nintendo, and car rental companies.
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.
Snap Earnings, Seasonality Versus Maturity, Snap’s Missing Business
Snap’s earnings were far worse than expected: not only is user growth slowing, but so is revenue. The company needs to build a real business far more quickly.
The Local News Business Model
Subscriptions are the future of local news: the key, though, is getting rid of newspapers.
Facebook Earnings, Advertisers Won’t Save Local News, Bret Stephens and the NYT Business Model
Facebook’s earnings show that the company’s ads are differentiated. Then, advertisers won’t save local news, and a reminder that publications need to match their journalism with their business model.
Twitter Earnings, Twitter’s Video Push, Amazon Earnings
Twitter’s earnings were encouraging when it comes to user growth, but the company’s focus on video is a disappointment. Then, Amazon’s earnings were mixed: AWS has competition, but e-commerce is dominant.