TSMC showed the power of modularization, and now they are core to the U.S. national security strategy.
Taiwan and Tech’s Geopolitical Realities, ARM on Mac?, TSMC’s Choice
The U.S. is increasingly — and appropriately — concerned about its extreme dependence on Taiwan. TSMC needs to build in the U.S. if they don’t want to let Intel back in the game.
Unmasking Twitter
Twitter has a new policy to listen to experts about what content to limit; what happens, though, when experts are wrong?
An Interview with Bill Bishop of Sinocism about COVID-19, U.S. China Relations, and Media Entrepreneurship
An Interview with Sinocism’s Bill Bishop about COVID-19, U.S.-China Relations, and media entrepreneurship in the dotcom bubble and today.
The Iowa Fiasco, The Best Feature, Three Lessons
The fiasco surround the Iowa caucuses is an occasion to learn three lessons: what is a tech company, technology is hard, and why Facebook is like Microsoft.
Lime Leaves 12 Cities; Scarcity Amongst Abundance; An Update on Apple, Trump, and Encryption
Scooter companies appear to be struggling, which is not a surprise; still, it is an excuse to re-visit assumptions around ride-sharing in comparison, and an generalizable principle about Aggregation Theory. Plus, an update on Apple versus the FBI.
Visa/Plaid Follow-Up; Apple v FBI, Round 2; 2020 Differences
More on Visa/Plaid, including why payments in the U.S. and China are so different. Then, Apple is facing off against the FBI again, but its position is both stronger technologically and weaker politically.
AB 5 and Health Care, Project Connected Home Over IP, Ecosystem Pragmatism
A more flexibility economy would benefit from a stronger safety net. Then, a new standard that actually has real potential. It’s a win for some companies, but questionable for others.
Trump Visits Mac Pro Factory, Apple’s Tariffs, Apple Versus GitHub
Trump visited the Mac Pro factory, and people are disappointed in Tim Cook. First off, tariffs are certainly the driving fact, but I am disappointed too, for different reasons than most.
Tech and Liberty
The First Amendment is not about a law, but rather a culture — specifically a culture of liberty. It is essential to tech, and in this context, Facebook is mostly right about political ads (but can still do better).