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Media

  • Tumblr Tumbles, Snapchat Hires Facebook Exec, An Update on Apple versus the FBI

    Tumblr’s failure is so profound that the reasons why deserve a deeper exploration. And, might said lessons apply to Snapchat? Plus important developments in Apple versus the FBI.

  • Condé Nast, Hearst Form Joint Venture; Stripe Atlas; An Interview with Stripe CEO Patrick Collison

    This Daily Update is about Stripe Atlas, but first a detour to discuss an interesting partnership between Condé Nast and Hearst. Then, and interview with Stripe founder and CEO Patrick Collison.

  • Bill Simmons to Launch ‘The Ringer’; More Media Notes on Yahoo, BuzzFeed, Vox

    Bill Simmons’ new site looks to take an integrated approach to money-making. Plus, strategies for content creators with examples from Yahoo, BuzzFeed, and Vox

  • Kanye West and Tidal, The Problem with Exclusivity, Pandora for Sale?

    Kanye West says his new album will be available exclusively on Tidal, which doesn’t make sense for consumers or for West as either a businessman or an artist. Then, Pandora is yet another advertising-based business to feel the heat, and it’s exacerbated by backwards-looking labels

  • Follow-up, Snapchat’s Deal with Viacom, Verizon Exploring Yahoo Purchase, Disney

    Follow-up on The Reality of Missing Out, including why I’m worried about Pinterest. Than, why I’m a bit wary of Snapchat’s deal with Viacom, but a believer in the idea of Verizon buying Yahoo. Finally, a reiteration of my Disney optimism.

  • The Reality of Missing Out

    Tech is entering a period of inequality where the big winners lift the sector as a whole even as smaller companies suffer. The best example is Facebook, Google, and digital advertising.

  • SideCar’s “Innovation”, Facebook Stadium and Twitter’s Conundrum, Tidbits

    SideCar feels that Uber was unfair, but the truth is the company didn’t understand that product matters more than technical expertise. Plus, why Twitter doesn’t have an natural acquirers, and several other tidbits from this week.

  • The FANG Playbook

    The FANG companies — Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google — are far more similar than you might think. Their rise in value is no accident, and it is connected to Aggregation Theory.

  • Apple Scales Back iAds, The Apple News Mess

    Apples struggles with iAd and confusion around Apple News spring from the same place: these are businesses that Apple is not set up to excel in, and the sooner they retrench, the better.

  • Netflix Goes Global, iPhone Worry

    Netflix’s surprising announcement that the company was extending its service to nearly every country on earth was impressive in its execution, what it said about the company’s strategy, and it raised interesting points about Aggregation Theory and Netflix’s future opportunities. Plus, there is a lot of smoke when it comes to worries about the iPhone.