Dollar Shave Club is a textbook example of how the new Internet economy will destroy value in incumbent industries.
Twilio Files for IPO, Building Infrastructure, Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2016
An overview of Twilio’s IPO and the role of infrastructure, and then my favorite slides from Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends deck.
Amazon Private Label, Facebook Audience Network Adds Video Ads
The idea of private labels aren’t new, but Amazon is uniquely positioned to profit from them. Then, the Facebook Audience Network is getting some deserved attention
The Problem with Facebook’s Ten-Year Plan, Is BuzzFeed Struggling?
Facebook’s (in my opinion) misguided attempt to own both public and private social was not the only thing that concerned me about the F8 keynote; I am also skeptical of the 10-year plan. Then, BuzzFeed may have some concerning numbers, but I think there is a good reason: the company is changing its business model.
Snapchat’s Ladder
Snapchat is on the verge of conquering the toughest messaging market in the world: the United States. The way they did it is by laddering-up.
The Amazon Tax
Amazon is building a lot of businesses that look like AWS: taxes on major industries that work to everyone’s benefit. The reason, though, is that AWS is a lot like Amazon itself.
Microsoft Earnings, Microsoft Acquires Xamarin, Microsoft Discontinues Android App Bridge
A long-delayed analysis of Microsoft’s most-recent earnings, which gives color to the company’s recent acquisition of Xamarin, and why the future is looking bright.
Xiaomi’s Struggles, Samsung Hardware Rumors
Xiaomi is struggling to justify its valuation; in fact there have been signs for a long time that their valuation was unrealistic all along. Plus, Samsung returns to hardware differentiation.
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.
Adele Won’t Stream 25, Windowing Versus Piracy
Adele won’t stream her new album, and I think that makes a ton of sense. Monetizing IP might be hard, but I don’t think it’s necessarily hostile to your fans. Plus, what really ended piracy and what will be the biggest conflict in IP-related industries in the future.