Apple is about the integration of hardware and software, but the balance between the two has shifted over time.
Disney and Integrators Versus Aggregators
Disney’s reorganization reinforces their integrated strategy; there is a lot to learn for anyone competing with Aggregators.
Nvidia’s Integration Dreams
Nvidia’s acquisition of ARM only makes sense from a financial perspective, unless you buy Jensen Huang’s datacenter dreams.
Chips and Geopolitics
TSMC showed the power of modularization, and now they are core to the U.S. national security strategy.
The Anti-Amazon Alliance
Google Shopping is changing its model, suggesting Google is joining the Anti-Amazon Alliance; 3rd-party merchants should do the same.
Email Addresses and Razor Blades
The fate of Harry’s and other DTC companies, particularly relative to companies like Credit Karma, highlight how the Internet elevates the importance of demand over supply.
Cisco Sells Chips, The Conservation of Attractive Networking, Twitter MoPub Revenue
Cisco is selling chips, which is a fascinating example of the Conservation of Attractive Profits. Then, Twitter’s MoPub revenue is more than it seems.
Integration and Monopoly
Apple has won through integration, but integration combined with network effects and economies of scale can result in bad outcomes that look a lot like monopolies.
Shopify and the Power of Platforms
It is all but impossible to beat an Aggregator head-on, as Walmart is trying to do with Amazon. The solution instead is to build a platform like Shopify.
AMD Launches 7nm Chips, Sony Partners with Microsoft, Apple and AWS
AMD leapfrogs Intel thanks to modularity, Sony partners with Microsoft thanks to scale, and Apple balances both.