Amazon Prime Day was a smashing success, at least if you ask Amazon. The ongoing shift in ecommerce models, though, threatens Prime’s underlying value proposition. Then, Facebook’s disappointing diversity numbers.
Microsoft and Apple Double Down
Both Microsoft and Apple made news yesterday, and while one was unexpected and the other predictable, both are effectively doubling down on their strategies. And both may not matter.
Tony Fadell Out at Nest, Why I Was Wrong About Google and Nest, Google’s Focus
Tony Fadell is out at Nest, likely signifying the beginning of the end of a deal I initially praised. Examining why I was wrong gives a lens to understand what went wrong.
Apple and the Long Run, How Satya Nadella Killed Windows Phone
My recent pieces about Apple actually don’t have anything to do with Google I/O or WWDC; they are about structural challenges going forward. Then, Windows Phone is well and truly dead, and how Satya Nadella killed it shows how structural changes can be effective.
The Curse of Culture
It is very fair to say that Apple is threatened by the potential rise of AI. Google, though, is also threatened by its inability to own customers’ attention. The solution for both companies may entail changing their culture, a very tall order indeed.
Andy Grove and the iPhone SE
Andy Grove passed away the same day that Apple announced the iPhone SE. One of Grove’s best decisions reminds me of this launch.
Instagram’s Algorithmic Feed, Apple and the Cloud, Microsoft and Okta
Instagram is changing the feed, and even though users say they don’t like it it’s the right decision. Plus, why Snapchat may be a threat. Then, two pieces of news about Apple and the cloud, both good and bad. Plus, Microsoft is still competitive, and rightly so.
More on Bitcoin, Samsung and Designing Software, The Problem with Holacracy
More on Bitcoin and the fundamental problem with the project, plus my thoughts on the blocksize question. Then, Samsung still can’t nail software, and the problems with Holacracy.
Bitcoin and Diversity
First, an exploration of the block size debate that is roiling the Bitcoin world, and then how lessons from that debate apply to diversity in tech.
The New York Times on Amazon, Jeff Bezos’ Email, Why Work for Amazon
The New York Times has a very in-depth critique of Amazon’s work culture. Some of what was reported was truly deplorable, and Jeff Bezos wrote that he agrees; other parts, though, deserve a much more nuanced and respectful discussion than what the New York Times provided.