Disney continues to invest in the future by buying part of MLBAM, while Comcast and Verizon settle into their roles as utilities. Plus, why Spotify’s antitrust complaints don’t make much sense, even if Apple isn’t being very fair.
Airbnb Raising Money, Airbnb and Hotels?, Airbnb Sues San Francisco
Airbnb is raising money, and if you view them as an OTA competitors, the valuation makes sense. Still, the company needs to address its externalities problem, and hotels could help.
Brexit and Tech: The Narrow View, HBO Versus Netflix, Amazon Dash Buttons
There is a broader story to be told about Brexit and tech, but today the narrower view of its impact. Then, why Netflix and HBO are different, and how Amazon’s Dash buttons demonstrate the company’s strength and the CPG industry’s weakness.
Brexit and Tech; More on Musk, Tesla, and Solar City; The Allure of Live: Facebook and ESPN
Why Brexit would be bad for U.S. tech companies, Why Tesla May be Hurt Even if Solar City Isn’t Acquired, and the power of live for escapism and sports
A Word on Tesla, Follow-up: The Big Picture, Tencent Acquires Supercell
Tesla offering to buy Solar City is why corporate governance matters. Then, a follow-up to yesterday’s piece on TV and why there is something much bigger going on, and why Tencent bought Supercell
TV Advertising’s Surprising Strength — And Inevitable Fall
TV advertising is having a good week at the upfronts, and it may be more resilient than expected. That, though, means the crash will be even more abrupt.
Why LinkedIn Sold, Dropbox is Cash Flow Positive
Why did LinkedIn sell? The company almost certainly put itself into a box of its own making, over which it had no control. Meanwhile, Dropbox is cash-flow positive, but the company has made similar mistakes.
Snapchat’s Advertising API, Snapchat Versus Facebook, Offline Tracking
The biggest news of the week was likely Snapchat’s announcement of an advertising API: how was it introduced, what is it, and how will it affect Facebook? Plus, Snapchat joins Facebook and Google in tracking brick-and-mortar visits.
Microsoft and Apple Double Down
Both Microsoft and Apple made news yesterday, and while one was unexpected and the other predictable, both are effectively doubling down on their strategies. And both may not matter.
WWDC Preview; Line Files for IPO; Yahoo, Twitter, Snapchat and Messaging
Apple’s services messaging is the most important part of WWDC, plus LINE is about to IPO and the challenges of messaging