Concepts

Niche Strategy

  • The IT Era and the Internet Revolution

    The history of technology is of two distinct eras: information technology enhanced existing business. The Internet revolution is destroying them.


  • Dollar Shave Club and the Disruption of Everything

    Dollar Shave Club is a textbook example of how the new Internet economy will destroy value in incumbent industries.


  • Tesla Skepticism and Superchargers, Medium for Publishers

    Just because Tesla is achieving an Apple-like brand doesn’t mean they will have Apple’s success: the hard part starts now. Plus, why SuperChargers are a big deal. Then, Medium for Publishers is Medium’s play to own the long tail of publishing, and it’s very exciting in what it enables.


  • The FBI Unlocks the San Bernardino iPhone, Sony to Make a New PS4?

    The FBI has successfully unlocked the San Bernardino iPhone. Now the question is if they will say how. Still, I think this debate will now go away for quite a while. Then, Sony is making a new PS4 which makes sense given the changing market, even though it’s risky.


  • Apple-FBI Follow-up; Xiaomi, Samsung, LG and High-End Android, Spotify Moves to Google’s Cloud

    First some follow-up on Apple versus the FBI, then a discussion about how high-end Android is a distinct market, and how that impacts new phones from Xiaomi, Samsung, and LG. Finally, why Spotify’s move to Google makes sense.


  • In Defense of The New York Times

    Amazon and The New York Times had a fascinating exchange this week, on Medium of all places. What that exchange represents — the search for truth, now open to anyone — is far more important than the particular article in question.


  • Medium and the Publishing Long Tail, Content Blockers and Facebook, Amazon Prime and the Washington Post

    A bit of follow-up on yesterday’s post Popping the Publishing Bubble, and why Medium is potentially trying to replicate Stripe’s strategy. Plus, the key decision-maker when it comes to ad-blocking is Facebook, and it’s not at all clear what they will do. Finally, an experiment from Jeff Bezos with the Washington Post and Amazon Prime.


  • 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,…


  • Media Monday: Bill Simmons vs ESPN, Spotify and the Content Hierarchy, Periscope and Piracy

    Today’s Daily Update is all about the media: – ESPN will not renew Bill Simmons’ contract, which leads into a discussion of the value of individual brands, particular writers, and how that value can best be captured – Not all content is created equally, which helps explain Spotify’s surprising decision to diversify – Periscope presents a…


  • Blogging’s Bright Future

    Blogs may not be the only means of expression on line, but they are a more viable as a business for writers focused on niches than ever before.