Facebook is under pressure from all sides, but that actually means it has an opportunity to build the platform it has always wanted — in digital ads.
Apple’s Earnings, Slowing Services Growth, Apple and the Coronavirus
Apple’s surging iPhone sales and slowing services growth suggest that lots of iPhone customers are upgrading. It’s a testament to how strong Apple’s position is that revenue it misses now it catches later.
Netflix Earnings; Self-Production, Cash Flow, and Margin; Netflix’s New Rung
Netflix’s earnings were mostly more of the same, but management’s comments helped explain an interesting connection between cash flow and margin, and showed how Netflix has evolved again.
Visa, Plaid, Networks, and Jobs
The history of credit cards helps explain why Plaid is valuable to Visa, and how Visa can make it significantly better.
Casper Files for IPO, Casper’s Business, Spotify Ad Targeting
Casper is a tech-enabled company, but so are its many competitors. Trying to win with brand is difficult in a market defined by infrequent purchases. Spotify, meanwhile, is seeking to expand the podcasting market beyond companies like Casper.
CES Concepts, Verizon Drops Bundles, Technology and TV
CES is boring, because no one knows what is next. Then, Verizon is dropping Internet and TV bundles, which is a rational response to the changing nature of pay-TV. It also shows how much tech disruption is still to come.
Bubble Talk, Revisited; It [Wasn’t] 1999; The Big Tech Basket
While 2015 Unicorns did not meet expectations, that doesn’t mean 2015 was a bubble. Indeed, the most surprising reality is how well established big tech companies did.
SBNation and AB5, Understanding SB Nation, AB 5 and the Internet
SB Nation is a publishing company that was only ever possible because of the Internet. That it has to change its model because of AB 5 shows why AB 5 is fundamentally flawed.
Cisco Sells Chips, The Conservation of Attractive Networking, Twitter MoPub Revenue
Cisco is selling chips, which is a fascinating example of the Conservation of Attractive Profits. Then, Twitter’s MoPub revenue is more than it seems.
Bluesky, The Twitter Protocol Tragedy, Alternatives
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced that the company would be setting up a team to pursue a more open alternative to social network; unfortunately, the time to do so was ten years ago.