Quibi — and Shopify! — explain why TikTok is so successful. As always, though, the TikTok story is complicated by the Chinese connection.
Zoom’s Earnings, Zoom and AWS, Zoom and End-to-end Encryption
Zoom didn’t just add free users: it’s revenue exploded as well. How AWS made that possible, and why Zoom’s encryption plans are a good idea.
HBO Max Launches, Amazon and Roku, Apple in 3rd
HBO Max is confusing because of negotiations with cable carriers, which is expected, and negotiations with OTT resellers, which perhaps was not. Then, is Apple making a move?
Platforms in an Aggregator World
Facebook Shops are good for Shopify merchants, but bad for Shopify; the answer is to push more into the real world.
Steve Jobs and OpenDoc, Fluid Framework, Microsoft Lists
At Build Microsoft’s vision for their enterprise operating system in the cloud was clearer than ever.
Joe Rogan and Spotify, Luminary and Howard Stern, Apple’s Response
Joe Rogan is exclusive to Spotify, which suggests the streaming service realizes it needs to steal share to get its Aggregation flywheel spinning.
Media, Regulators, and Big Tech; Indulgences and Injunctions; Better Approaches
Blaming Facebook and Google for the media industry’s trouble inevitably leads to bad regulations with unintended consequences and the end of accountability for big tech.
Dithering and Open Versus Free
Announcing the new Dithering podcast, and why it is important to fight for the open ecosystem that Spotify is trying to aggregate.
Announcing Dithering, An Interview with John Gruber (not about Apple)
Announcing Dithering, a new podcast from John Gruber and myself. Then, and interview with Gruber about being an independent writer on the Internet, covering Apple’s rise, and Dithering.
Disney Earnings, AMC Versus Universal, Businesses in the Middle
Disney’s earnings were predictably brutal, particularly for its Parks Division, which is the most important division when it comes to understanding Disney. Plus, AMC has nothing to lose.