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.
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.
The Big 5 Year in Review: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook
A year-end review of tech’s five most important companies.
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
Dropbox Kills Carousel and Mailbox, Facebook Kills Creative Labs
Dropbox finally focuses on business, while Facebook realizes it’s a big company now.
Google and the Shift From Web to Apps, Indexing App-Only Content, Streaming Apps
Phase one of the shift from web to apps was a problem for Google, but a solvable one. Phase two, though, is much more of an existential threat.
Google Hires Diane Greene, Google the Cloud Company?
Google is signaling that it is getting serious about the cloud, so success is certain. Or is it? What actually matters in building an adjacent business for a different kind of market?
Atlassian Files for IPO, Square Prices IPO Below Last Round
Atlassian is a very remarkable company, particularly from a financial perspective. In fact, they may be so unique that they are one of a kind — and that has risks. Plus, most folks are drawing the wrong lessons from Square’s IPO pricing.
Amazon’s Transformation, Continued; Microsoft’s Transformation…and Threat
As predicted last quarter, AWS is increasingly the engine driving Amazon’s financial results. However, there is evidence the e-commerce side is changing as well. Then, Microsoft has completely changed itself over the last few years, but the company is not out of the woods just yet.