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Latest Podcast

Concepts

Making Money

Business models are the surest way to understand a company’s motivations.

  • Apple Follow-Up, Apple Earnings, Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai Steps Down

    Is Apple setting itself up for disruption, or will its integration lead to more markets? Its earnings offer evidence in both directions, and worrisome China results. Then, Kazuo Hirai steps down after setting Sony on the only sustainable path.

  • Apple’s Middle Age

    For Apple, hitting middle age means a strategy primarily focused on monetizing its existing customers. It makes sense, but one wonders what happens next.

  • Google Earnings, Amazon Earnings

    Google gives greater clarity to its acquisition costs, and cloud continues to grow. Amazon, though, still has a big lead, funding the rest of the company (still).

  • Facebook Earnings, Microsoft Earnings

    Amazon Health was not about the health insurance industry, but about Amazon. Then, Facebook’s earnings were stronger than most appreciate (and as predicted), while Microsoft’s hybrid strategy continues to pay off.

  • 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.

  • Snapchat’s Engagement Numbers, Apple’s Tax Repatriation, The Shift to a Territorial Tax System

    Snap’s engagement numbers are a reminder that it is first and foremost a chat app; that’s not great for advertising. Then, explaining the changes in the U.S. tax system through the lens of Apple, which is claiming credit that may not be entirely deserved.

  • Facebook’s Motivations

    The impact of Facebook’s News Feed changes on the media is far less interesting than what the changes — and their stated purpose — say about Facebook itself.

  • Vulnerabilities, Philosophies, and Ad-Blockers; Intel’s Response; The Advantage of Serverless

    Follow-up on Meltdown and Spectre, Intel’s obfuscation, and why serverless is better.

  • Patreon Reverses Itself, The Patreon Backstory and the Reality of Fees, Patreon’s Mistake

    Patreon recently changed its fee structure — and then changed it back. The problem is rooted in Patreon’s history and it its misunderstanding of the value chain in which it operates.

  • Disney and Fox

    Disney’s rumored acquisition of 21st Century Fox is all about competing with Netflix; whether or not that is a good thing depends on your frame of reference.