Concepts

Company Structure

What a company makes — and how it makes it — in indelibly tied up into how the company is structured.

  • Tech and Liberty

    The First Amendment is not about a law, but rather a culture — specifically a culture of liberty. It is essential to tech, and in this context, Facebook is mostly right about political ads (but can still do better).


  • HBO Max, AT&T’s Challenges, The Streaming Battleground

    AT&T announced details about HBO Max, which are both safe and aggressive, and also raise questions about AT&T’s long-term stewardship. Then, why Netflix and Disney are the long-term winners.


  • Amazon Earnings, AWS Concerns, Google Earnings

    Amazon’s earnings are encouraging because profits are down. Still, there is reason for concern around AWS. Then, Google’s top-line continues to impress, but the company continues to waste huge amounts of money, hurting the bottom line.


  • SoftBank Rescues WeWork, Owning WeWork, Zuckerberg in Congress

    SoftBank is rescuing WeWork in a very strange transaction, then re-visiting what I have written about WeWork. Plus, Zuckerberg’s appearance in Congress confirmed why Libra is the wrong approach for the company.


  • Ghost 3.0, An Interview with Ghost CEO John O’Nolan

    There is a new offering in the subscription space: Ghost. John O’Nolan, the founder and CEO of the Ghost Foundation, explains what makes Ghost unique.


  • Zuckerberg’s Speech, Facebook Versus China, The Structure of Free Expression

    Digging into the specifics of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s speech, particularly the company’s role in a contest of values with China, and why free expression depends on more than good intensions.


  • Facebook’s All-Hands Leak, Facebook Versus Warren, Zuckerberg’s Culture

    The most newsworthy aspect of Facebook All-Hands leak is what its existence says about Facebook itself. What is most interesting, though, are not the comments about Elizabeth Warren but what Mark Zuckerberg showed about himself.


  • Neither and New Follow-Up, Adam Neumann Forced Out, Peloton IPOs

    Why Neither/New companies are different than traditional marketplaces, how Vision Fund’s flaws led to Adam Neumann being forced out, and why Peloton has a big opportunity it might not see.


  • Why WeWork Isn’t AWS and the CEO Problem, Cloudflare’s S-1, Contrasting S-1s

    The comparison of WeWork to AWS shouldn’t be taken too far, because software is different. Look no further than Cloudflare’s IPO. Plus, leadership matters.


  • The WeWork IPO

    The WeWork IPO is defined by audaciousness and excess, all of which is driven by unlimited access to capital.