Jeff Bezos’ annual letter is as illuminating as ever, particularly on how to achieve alignment in a business. Facebook demonstrates that, both positively and negatively.
Facebook’s Incentives and Confirmation Bias, James Allworth: Founders and Motivation, Follow-up
My podcast partner explains why I was mistaken to not oppose Facebook’s power sooner — and I welcome it. Plus, additional follow-up on Manifestos and Monopolies.
Snap S-1 Follow-up, Facebook Earnings, Hedging the Future of Advertising
From a business perspective, Snapchat isn’t like Apple at all. Then, Facebook further unveils its video strategy, and continues to invest in what may be the future of advertising.
Snap’s Apple Strategy
Snap plans to win on innovation; we’ve known for 30 years, though, that that is not always enough.
Qualcomm Sued by FTC, Apple; The Cases Against Qualcomm; Google Buys Google Ads
Qualcomm was sued by both the FTC and by Apple; Apple seems to have a much stronger case. Then, is Google buying Google ads a bad thing?
Trump Appoints China Hawk to Trade Council, Apple and Chinese Manufacturing, Automation and Apple’s Risk
Tech generally and Apple in particular has reason to be concerned about Trump’s recent appointments; the company would be the biggest loser in any trade dispute
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.
Opendoor Follow-up, Fitbit Buys Pebble Assets, GoPro Closes Entertainment Unit
The point of writing about Opendoor was to praise the ambition for the very reason that it might not work. Then, hardware continues to be hard: Pebble is out of business, and GoPro is in very big trouble.
Apple Should Buy Netflix
The fact Apple’s ‘TV’ app doesn’t have Netflix shows who has the leverage; Apple should just buy in.
Coupa IPOs — and Pops, Why (Most) IPOs are Under-Priced, Why the IPO Process Doesn’t Change
The latest tech IPOs are all popping in price: are banks screwing startups? In fact, I think it is not a big deal, and may even help startups. Regardless, it is very unlikely to change.