Twitter gets hacked, which points to both Twitter failures and tech industry blindspots. Then, why Facebook may not want a TikTok ban.
The TikTok War
How TikTok exposed Facebook’s blindspot, thanks to its Chinese roots, and why those Chinese roots make TikTok a genuine concern.
Apple, ARM, and Intel
ARM Macs are imminent; why they make sense, and why the implications could be far-reaching, for not just Apple but also Intel.
Zoom’s Earnings, Zoom and AWS, Zoom and End-to-end Encryption
Zoom didn’t just add free users: it’s revenue exploded as well. How AWS made that possible, and why Zoom’s encryption plans are a good idea.
An Interview with Okta CEO Todd McKinnon (and Slack correction)
An interview with Okta CEO Todd McKinnon about Okta’s moat, holding a virtual developer conference, and the Okta platform.
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.
iCloud Backups and Encryption; Facts, Principles, and Concerns; Determining Defaults
More encryption news, this time about how Apple holds the keys to iCloud backups. I think this approach strikes the right balance: privacy exists, particularly if you work for it, while acknowledging legitimate societal concerns.
Clearview AI, The Problem with Scraping, Tradeoffs
Clearview AI is billed as a story about facial recognition, but the most important questions it raises is about scraping. And, by doing so, it reveals how many trade-offs we have yet to confront.
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.