The UK blocks Microsoft’s Activision acquisition using a market definition that makes no sense; then, Google and Microsoft’s earnings both talked about AI, but the discussion was more favorable to Microsoft
EU Narrows Apple Case, Snap’s My AI
The European Commission closes on a ruling that makes sense for Apple’s App Store, and Snap launches their own OpenAI-powered chat bot
DOJ Sues Google, Google’s Advertising Aggregation, No Duty to Deal
The DOJ’s lawsuit against Google details a lot of anti-competitive behavior, but the underlying source of Google’s strength is Aggregation.
Twitter’s Link Ban, Network Portability, China and the Trailing Edge
Twitter’s link ban is not a new tactic to the company, or the industry, and shows where regulation goes wrong. Then, China doubles down on trailing edge semiconductor capacity.
Consoles and Competition
Reviewing the history of video games explains why Sony is dominant today, and why Microsoft is actually introducing competition, not limiting it.
Spotify Earnings, Spotify Exclusives, Spotify vs. Apple
Spotify’s earnings were solid, although I am more skeptical of its podcast exclusive strategy than ever. Plus, Apple continues to act anti-competitively, this time in e-books.
Launch Follow-Up, Figma Feedback, More on Antitrust and Acquisitions
More details on yesterday’s launch, then a designer explains why Figma is different, and why Adobe has a good chance in court if it goes that far.
Adobe Acquires Figma, Figma’s Disruption, The Figma OS
Adobe’s acquisition of Figma is about the long-term shift in the design value chain; it paid so much because there was no other reason for Figma to sell.
Google, Machine Learning, and CSAM; Takeaways and Tradeoffs; Apple’s CSAM Controversey
A story about Google’s false positives while scanning for CSAM highlight the terrible trade-offs involved; what is black and white is that Google is in the wrong.
Apple Earnings, Apple and Zero-COVID, Apple Pay and the EU
Apple’s earnings were dominated by supply chain issues in China, which are ultimately driven by COVID. Then, the EU gets it right in an antitrust case (for now).