Mark Zuckerberg suggested that social media is a “Fifth Estate”; in fact, social media is a means by which the Third Estate — commoners — can seize political power. Here history matters.
AWS, MongoDB, and the Economic Realities of Open Source
Amazon’s latest offering highlights the economic challenges facing open source companies — and Amazon should pay attention.
The Scooter Economy
Scooters are everywhere, and the use case is amazing. What is not so clear, though, is how scooter companies can build strong businesses, which means consumers are the real winners.
Qualcomm, National Security, and Patents
The Trump administration blocked Broadcom’s acquisition of Qualcomm, and I think it was the right move. Understanding why means understanding Qualcomm and Broadcom’s plan for the company — and the problem with patents.
Amazon Go and the Future
Amazon Go exemplifies how Amazon is building its monopoly in three ways: horizontally, vertically, and financially. Plus, why automation is worth being optimistic about.
Gatekeepers Follow-Up, Hollywood and Venture Capital, The New York Times versus Tech
The removal of Gatekeepers should not drive the demand for new ones; then, why venture capital has a lot in common with Hollywood, which should serve as a warning. Finally, a reminder, courtesy of the New York Times, of why the Fake News campaign is dangerous.
The iPhone 8 Price Rise, The Cellular Apple Watch, Apple TV 4K and Disney
The iPhone 8 price raise was unexpected and a reminder of how much Apple values margin. Then, the cellular Apple Watch was the real glimpse of the future, and why no one should be surprised Disney didn’t make a deal with Apple.
The Arrival of Artificial Intelligence
What is artificial intelligence? Is it really any different than technology? In my estimation machine learning is truly something new, and the effects on society will be significant.
Alexa: Amazon’s Operating System
Money is made at chokepoints, and the most valuable chokepoints are operating systems; Amazon is building exactly that with Alexa.
The State of Technology at the End of 2016
The annual Stratechery review of the state of technology, and call to build products that unlock human potential