Nintendo’s decision to discontinue the NES Classic Edition doesn’t make any sense, unless you understand Nintendo. Then it makes all the sense in the world.
Jeff Bezos’ Annual Letter, Facebook Messenger and Payments, Facebook Instant Articles Fizzing?
Jeff Bezos’ annual letter is as illuminating as ever, particularly on how to achieve alignment in a business. Facebook demonstrates that, both positively and negatively.
Apple to Build Own GPU, The Evolution of GPUs, Apple and the General-Purpose GPU
Apple is building its own GPUs, but I doubt their goal is to save money.
Microsoft, eBay, and Tencent Invest in Flipkart; The Indian E-Commerce Market; Lyft Raises $500 Million
Microsoft, eBay, and Tencent are investing in Flipkart: the opportunity is just too big to miss out on, even if Amazon looks ever stronger. It’s the same reason investors are putting more money into Lyft.
SpaceX Reuses a Rocket; The Music Industry: Winning and Whining; Spotify, Universal Agree to New Deal
SpaceX reused a rocket for the first time: it’s an incredible accomplishment. Then, the record labels are winning but can’t stop whining; their short-sightedness is exemplified by the newest deal with Spotify.
Twitter Loses NFL Streaming, Amazon Adds NFL Streaming, Apple and the Mac Pro
Twitter lost the NFL streaming deal to Amazon; all the reasons why the deal didn’t make sense for Twitter explain why Amazon is doing it. Then, the most interesting part of Apple’s Mac Pro news is the timeline.
Amazon Shutters Quidsi, Amazon and CPG Companies, Amazon and Wal-Mart
Amazon is shutting down Quidsi, and taking the fight for CPG goods to Wal-Mart.
Mulesoft IPO, Okta S-1, Cohort Analysis in S-1s
Mulesoft and Okta are two examples of companies that are not just software-as-a-service companies themselves, but enablers of more. That should make traditional vendors nervous.
Medium and Bundle Economics, Text vs Music vs Video, Another Uber Scandal
More on Medium: the company is trying to sell a bundle, but there are no bundle economics in its favor. Then, Uber has another scandal, with a familiar person at the center.
Medium Membership, Medium Content, The Medium Newspaper
Ev Williams premise that media is broken is correct. It’s broken, though, because of the business model, which means another bad business model isn’t the solution.