A quick aside as to why Stratechery doesn’t have an app, then a review of Apple’s educational event, and why the company’s business model limits it in education relative to Google.
Salesforce Acquires Mulesoft, The Enterprise Cloud Opportunity, Salesforce’s Opportunity
Salesforce is acquiring Mulesoft. While the price seems high, there is a unique opportunity to be the integration layer in enterprise software.
What Was Facebook Thinking?, Facebook’s Platform Folly, Does This Mean Regulation?
The answer to “What Was Facebook Thinking” may be less about strategy and more about not understanding the type of company Facebook was meant to be. Plus, why regulation probably isn’t imminent.
Drake on Twitch, Fortnite vs PUBG and Selling Feelings, The Returns to the Best
Drake was playing video games on Twitch, and it blew up: there is so much to unpack about games, new business models, Twitch, and asymmetrical returns on the Internet. (Plus, a brief note on that Siri article)
Apple Acquires Texture; The Problem with Magazines; Texture, Apple News, and Bundles
Apple acquired Texture and is taking the last, best shot at building a digital text bundle.
The Athletic Raises $20 Million, Four Stories on Tech and Politics
The Athletic is right to go for it, and raise more VC money. Then, tech and politics is only becoming more complicated as national security concerns enter the debate.
More Spotify; Spotify, Uber, and Airbnb; Uber, Waymo, and SoftBank
A bit more on Spotify, and then the lessons to be learned by Uber and Spotify. Plus, a potential Uber-Waymo partnership, and why they company will likely sell-out in Southeast Asia.
Could Spotify Be Netflix?, Calculating Spotify’s LTV and CAC
Spotify is in a much weaker position that Netflix was, because it could not build up a user base before negotiating with its suppliers. However, the company does seem to be acquiring customers efficiently.
Lessons From Spotify
Spotify has a marginal cost problem, but while the cause is unique to Spotify, the challenges are more applicable than it seems.
Ring, Alarm.com, and Bottom-up Ecosystem Building; Dropbox and Timing; Apple, China, Microsoft, the United States
More follow-up on both Ring/Amazon and Dropbox, then why Apple in China explains why the Supreme Court should rule in favor or tech companies.