Making Money
Business models are the surest way to understand a company’s motivations.
-
For Apple, hitting middle age means a strategy primarily focused on monetizing its existing customers. It makes sense, but one wonders what happens next.
-
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.
-
Google is at its best when its product focus follows its business model; for too long Android was a detour.
-
ChatGPT 5, Product Trade-Offs, Personality and Model Upgrades
GPT-5 seems fine; the more interesting questions are about the ChatGPT product and OpenAI’s tradeoffs.
-
ESPN + NFL, NFL Strategy, Additional Disney Notes
The NFL is taking equity in ESPN. It’s a great deal for Disney, driven by the NFL’s long-term concern about tech dominance.
-
Figma S-1, The Figma OS, Figma’s AI Potential
Figma is well-placed to succeed in an AI world, because they are an operating system. However, they need to move quickly to capitalize, and that explains why they are going public.
-
An Interview with “Apple in China” Author Patrick McGee
An Interview with “Apple in China” Author Patrick McGee about Apple’s reluctant shift to outsourcing and how its position relative to its supply chain has shifted over time.
-
Nvidia Earnings, Nvidia’s China Argument, NVLink Fusion
Nvidia’s earnings suggest that inference is taking off, but the loss of China is a problem in the long run. Then, Nvidia moves to dominate networking for everyone.