Tech is entering a period of inequality where the big winners lift the sector as a whole even as smaller companies suffer. The best example is Facebook, Google, and digital advertising.
Why I Stand by Peak Google, Amazon is Fine, More Amazon Stores?
Google had great earnings again, and was briefly the most valuable company in the world. That doesn’t change my opinions in Peak Google. Then, Amazon lost the expectations game, but the underlying business continues to look great. Plus, a theory about those rumored Amazon stores.
Ellen Chisa: Crowdfunding and the Internet, An Overview of Crowdfunding Platforms, Creating a Sustainable Crowdfunding Platform
Ben is on vacation so today’s Daily Update guest writer is Ellen Chisa. Ellen is a former product manager at Kickstarter and is writing an overview of crowdfunding.
Semil Shah: How FANGAM Impacts Startups, How Startups Adjust to FANGAM, Investing in a FANGAM World
Ben is on vacation, so Semil Shah wrote a guest post about startups in a world dominated by FANGAM: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google, Apple, and Microsoft.
Facebook Earnings, Five Facebook Facts, Additional Facebook Observations
Facebook earnings were once again impressive: they have a killer market, but the company continues to execute fantastically, particularly on the business side.
Twitter Follow-up, Apple’s Good Earnings, Apple is Not a Services Company
Understanding why Twitter failed has strategic implications today. Then, Apple’s earnings were better than they looked, but despite the CFO’s protestations, they are still not a services company.
How Facebook Squashed Twitter
Twitter uncovered the most powerful format in mobile back in 2006: the feed. But, in 2009, Facebook went algorithmic while Twitter remained to hard to use. Now, it’s almost certainly too late.
The FANG Playbook
The FANG companies — Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google — are far more similar than you might think. Their rise in value is no accident, and it is connected to Aggregation Theory.
WhatsApp Drops Subscription Fee, Messaging’s Monetization Potential, GM Acquires Sidecar Remnants
WhatsApp unsurprisingly dropped their subscription fee and, paradoxically, increased the services value. There are much better ways to monetize messaging. Plus, why it doesn’t matter what car makers do.
Apple Scales Back iAds, The Apple News Mess
Apples struggles with iAd and confusion around Apple News spring from the same place: these are businesses that Apple is not set up to excel in, and the sooner they retrench, the better.