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Product Management

  • Airbnb’s Externalities, Sharing and Culture, PayPal Acquires Xoom

    Yesterday’s discussion of Airbnb was in part focused on the broader implications of the sharing economy. Truthfully, though, Airbnb deserves more attention for its externalities — it is in many ways more radical than Uber. It’s also not clear it will work in every culture. Then, a brief discussion of Paypal and Xoom and how different…

  • Airbnb and the Internet Revolution

    Airbnb gets less press than Uber, but in some respects its even more radical: understanding how it works leads one to question many of the premises of modern society from hotels to regulations. It’s an important marker in the Internet Revolution.

  • Summer Update, Slack Strong, The Dropbox Cautionary Tale

    Slack has more numbers out, and while from a certain perspective the company still seems small, a step back reveals just how significant the opportunity is. Still, nothing is guaranteed, and Dropbox happens to offer a very useful cautionary tale.

  • YouTube Gaming, Network Defensibility, The Applicability of Metcalfe’s Law

    YouTube Gaming is taking on Twitch, which raises a number of interesting questions: is YouTube Gaming like Google+, and if not, why not? Will it succeed, or should Google have simply bought Twitch? Also, a fascinating paper about Metcalfe’s Law and when and where it applies.

  • Taylor Swift v Apple

    Eddy Cue is dancing again, but this time it’s figuratively and the tune is provided by Taylor Swift. Seventeen hours after Swift decried Apple’s plan to not compensate artists for songs played during the Apple Music demo period Apple changed course. What can be learned, and what does this say about Apple Music — and about…

  • Twitter Lightning, Twitter’s Communication Problem, Buzzfeed’s New News App

    Word is out about Lightning, a new Twitter feature that lets people dip in and out of current events. It’s a great move. The question, though, is why talk about it now? The timing highlights a big communication problem. Also, BuzzFeed News’ new app, and the importance of notifications to its future monetization.

  • Evernote Seeking New CEO, E3 and the End of Exclusives, Playstation Vue’s “A La Carte” Offering

    In a shocking — but perhaps not surprising — announcement Evernote CEO Phil Libin said the company would be seeking a new CEO. How well is Evernote doing, and will they ever become a private company? E3 Day Zero was also yesterday, and while Sony in particular had some compelling announcements for an old guy like…

  • Uber in China, Didi Kuaidi Raising $1.5 Billion, China Scale and Apple Maps

    It seems that Uber is doing far better in China than expected. How is the company succeeding where other western companies have failed, and is their success sustainable? Plus fundraising news from Uber’s biggest competitor, and some amazing numbers about China’s scale.

  • Dick Costolo Out as Twitter CEO, Costolo’s Key Shortcoming, Twitter’s Next CEO

    Dick Costolo is out as Twitter’s CEO, a shocking but unsurprising outcome. This update examines why he had to go, as well as why this week’s Twitter product announcements expose the biggest shortcoming of his tenure. Finally, I examine the necessary qualities for Twitter’s next CEO and who might make sense.

  • Battle of the Box, Updated; Apple Enables Ad-Blockers

    A year ago I compared and contrasted Box and Dropbox; both have taken very different paths over the last year, and in light of Box’s earnings and recent Dropbox news I check back in on their progress. Also, Apple and ad-blockers.