Google had great earnings again, although the usual questions — and a new one, about Google Cloud — remain unanswered. Then, Microsoft returned to annual revenue growth, an impressive milestone in the company’s turnaround.
The Justin Caldbeck Affair; The Enablers; Avis, Hertz, Waymo, and Apple
A salute to Danny Sullivan, then a note on the Justin Caldbeck affair: he must be held accountable, but so must his enablers. Then, the changing structure of the car industry.
Bill Gurley Leaves Uber’s Board, Uber Adds Tipping, Chris Lattner Leaves Tesla
Bill Gurley ultimately believes in the Uber idea, and it probably cost both Kalanick and him their jobs. Then, why it’s a problem that Uber is adding tipping, plus the news that Chris Lattner is leaving Tesla.
Acquisitions and Network Effects, Antitrust and Network Effects, The Saga of Whole Foods
Acquisitions that make sense involve network effects; that is why the long-term future of antitrust is about network analysis (not that it will affect this deal). Plus, John Mackey’s pragmatic fit with Amazon.
Amazon’s New Customer
The key to understanding Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods is to understand that Amazon didn’t buy a retailer: the company bought a customer.
Apple’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Both Apple’s strengths and weaknesses were on full display at its annual WWDC keynote; the HomePod is a perfect example.
Twitter Loses NFL Streaming, Amazon Adds NFL Streaming, Apple and the Mac Pro
Twitter lost the NFL streaming deal to Amazon; all the reasons why the deal didn’t make sense for Twitter explain why Amazon is doing it. Then, the most interesting part of Apple’s Mac Pro news is the timeline.
Chris Lattner Leaves Apple…for Tesla; Does Apple Have a Problem?
Chris Lattner has been one of Apple’s most important employees for years, helping the company own one of its most critical assets. But now he is moving on to Tesla: what does that mean for both companies?
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.
Uber Losses (But China Gains?), Uber and Unit Economics, Reconsidering Uber
New Uber financials have leaked, showing more losses but perhaps unexpected gains in China. However, while it’s hard to gain insight without a view into Uber’s unit economics, that doesn’t mean the company shouldn’t be questioned.