For years publishers haven’t had to worry about business models: they just captured attention and watched the money come in. Those days, though, are over: the publications that survive will start with business models and build journalism around it.
From Products to Platforms
Apple was at its best in its most recent keynote: unveiling the sorts of products the company is uniquely capable of creating. The question, though, is whether the company has the vision and capability of making those products into platforms.
The New York Times on Amazon, Jeff Bezos’ Email, Why Work for Amazon
The New York Times has a very in-depth critique of Amazon’s work culture. Some of what was reported was truly deplorable, and Jeff Bezos wrote that he agrees; other parts, though, deserve a much more nuanced and respectful discussion than what the New York Times provided.
China’s Yuan Depreciation, The Yuan’s Effect on Apple, The Yuan and Unicorns
The most important story of the week has been China’s ongoing depreciation of the Yuan. Clearly, the company that will be impacted the most is Apple, but there is a a potential impact on Unicorns as well.
Do You Trust Larry Page?
With the establishment of Alphabet Larry Page is setting himself up to pursue his vision of how the world should be, and in the process challenging assumptions about how businesses should be run and the means through which progress is achieved.
Meetup Information; LinkedIn Beats, Slumps; Samsung’s Shift Continues; Sony’s Specialization
LinkedIn and Samsung both had negative reactions to their earnings, but both are in the middle of a shift to a better position going forward; Sony’s results were worse on an absolute basis but better received because they’ve already gone through the hard work of focusing on what works.
Plus, meetup information for Chicago, New York, and Madison
Facebook’s Impressive Consistency, Yelp’s Employee Problem
Facebook consistently delivers good results, which is why they get a lot of leeway from investors. Perhaps the latter aren’t as irrational as everyone thinks. Plus, Yelp’s big problem, and why it might affect Twitter.
The Case for Jack Dorsey, Twitter CEO
For years Twitter has prioritized advertisers and revenue over users and product. The problem is that the latter begets the former, but not the other way around. Product must come first, which means Jack Dorsey should be Twitter’s CEO.
Intel and the Delay in Moore’s Law, Another Android Vulnerability
Moore’s Law has officially hit a slow-down. The more important question is why — and it is necessarily as bad a thing as we expected? Plus, the latest Android vulnerability points to a big Apple advantage and the implications of tradeoffs.
Amazon’s Transformation, The Apple Music Backlash
Amazon turned a surprising profit: was it on purpose? More importantly, what does it say about the fundamental nature of Amazon as a company and as an investment? Plus, why the Apple Music backlash shouldn’t be a surprise, and a survey about meet-ups for this summer.