Jeff Bezos gave a great interview at the Code Conference, and while the whole thing is worth watching, I wanted to highlight a few items that touched on Stratechery topics. Plus, three recent Amazon stories that show how the company is winning.
Snapchat Follow-up; WeChat, Facebook Messenger, and iMessage; Microsoft’s Bot Parade
Some follow-up on Snapchat, where it fits alongside Facebook Messenger and iMessage, then a discussion of where all the “bot” talk is coming from. Then, Microsoft jumped all in on bots: what does it mean, and what should they do next.
The Amazon Tax
Amazon is building a lot of businesses that look like AWS: taxes on major industries that work to everyone’s benefit. The reason, though, is that AWS is a lot like Amazon itself.
Microsoft SQL Server to Run on Linux, Box’s Great Quarter
Windows is truly dead at Microsoft, as SQL Server will soon run on Linux. Meanwhile, Box had a great quarter, underlying the fact that SaaS economics work — and what happened to Windows Server helps explain why.
Amazon Echo Expands, The Nest Failure, Microsoft and Slack
There are a lot of useful lessons to draw from Amazon Echo’s early success, particularly when placed in contrast to Google’s Nest. Microsoft should pay heed if in fact they had a chance to buy Slack.
Condé Nast, Hearst Form Joint Venture; Stripe Atlas; An Interview with Stripe CEO Patrick Collison
This Daily Update is about Stripe Atlas, but first a detour to discuss an interesting partnership between Condé Nast and Hearst. Then, and interview with Stripe founder and CEO Patrick Collison.
Bill Simmons to Launch ‘The Ringer’; More Media Notes on Yahoo, BuzzFeed, Vox
Bill Simmons’ new site looks to take an integrated approach to money-making. Plus, strategies for content creators with examples from Yahoo, BuzzFeed, and Vox
Slack Follow-up, The WeChat Platform, Uber and Facebook Messenger
More on Slack’s platform opportunity, which can be compared to what WeChat has already accomplished in China. That said, the fact way that China is truly mobile-first means that it’s likely that no one — including Facebook Messenger — will fully imitate WeChat’s model.
Slack and the State of Technology at the End of 2015
Slack has announced the Slack Platform. It’s an obvious move, but it’s the obviousness that indicates what a huge opportunity it is
Amazon Opens Physical Bookstore, The iPad Pro’s Half Launch
Amazon’s physical bookstore is first and foremost an experiment. However, it’s worth considering how it fits into Amazon’s measurement of success. Then, the iPad Pro launched, but not its accessories. It’s part of a worrying trend.