An Interview with Sinocism’s Bill Bishop about COVID-19, U.S.-China Relations, and media entrepreneurship in the dotcom bubble and today.
Email Addresses and Razor Blades
The fate of Harry’s and other DTC companies, particularly relative to companies like Credit Karma, highlight how the Internet elevates the importance of demand over supply.
Morgan Stanley Acquires E*Trade, Intuit Reportedly Acquiring Credit Karma, User Acquisition and Market Power
Morgan Stanley acquired E*Trade, and Intuit is reportedly acquiring Credit Karma; both are about improving customer acquisition, but the competitive impacts differ.
Apple’s Investor Warning, Foxconn’s Investor Warning, An Interview with Dan Wang
Apple issued its second revenue warning in two years, and while the circumstances were very different, both were about China. Then, Foxconn is diversifying — will that speed up? Plus, an interview with Dan Wang about supply chains in China.
Spotify Earnings, Podcasts and Lifetime Value, The Ringer Acquisition
Spotify’s mixed earnings, why podcasts are uniquely valuable to the company, and where The Ringer fits in.
Google Earnings, YouTube and Google Cloud, Google’s Falling Margin
Google finally released new financial information about YouTube and Google Cloud, but it is still not sufficient. Then, Google’s margins are falling just like Facebook’s: is the engine finally sputtering?
Apple’s Earnings, Slowing Services Growth, Apple and the Wuhan Virus
Apple’s surging iPhone sales and slowing services growth suggest that lots of iPhone customers are upgrading. It’s a testament to how strong Apple’s position is that revenue it misses now it catches later.
Netflix Earnings; Self-Production, Cash Flow, and Margin; Netflix’s New Rung
Netflix’s earnings were mostly more of the same, but management’s comments helped explain an interesting connection between cash flow and margin, and showed how Netflix has evolved again.
Visa, Plaid, Networks, and Jobs
The history of credit cards helps explain why Plaid is valuable to Visa, and how Visa can make it significantly better.
Casper Files for IPO, Casper’s Business, Spotify Ad Targeting
Casper is a tech-enabled company, but so are its many competitors. Trying to win with brand is difficult in a market defined by infrequent purchases. Spotify, meanwhile, is seeking to expand the podcasting market beyond companies like Casper.