Sonos will begin trading today, but it faces a tough road without meaningful integration. Spotify faces a difficult road too: it is interesting to think about what they would look like together (even though it won’t happen).
Xiaomi IPOs, Samsung’s Profit Slips, The Smiling Curve
Xiaomi’s IPO shows a company that has come full circle but still has a long ways to go. Then, Samsung remains reliant on components for profit, and both companies show that the Smiling Curve applies to smartphones more than ever.
SendGrid IPOs, The Nintendo Marios
SendGrid’s IPO exemplifies a company that works: a SaaS offering that enables, and grows alongside, its customer. Then, the differing results for Super Mario Run and Super Mario Galaxy show the value in maximizing revenue amongst core customers.
Stitch Fix and the Senate
Stitch Fix is a perfectly fine company that is a big startup success, in part because it paid attention to costs. It is very problematic that the Senate is threatening that, and potentially entrenching incumbents.
Netflix Follow-up, Sonos + Alexa, MongoDB IPOs
Netflix cancels its non-evergreen content, and isn’t really relevant to Nielsen. Then, a Sonos and Alexa partnership makes sense for both sides, and MongoDB has a thoroughly modern IPO.
Roku’s IPO and Origin Story, Netflix Versus Roku and the Conservation of Attractive Profits, “Weak” Aggregators
Roku’s origin story explain Netflix’s strategic acumen — which, by extension, explains why Roku is a risky bet. Then, Roku explains “weak” aggregators, that aren’t really aggregators at all.
Google’s Precedent Problem, Five Stories In Brief
Leaving aside whether or not the European Commission decision is justifiable, it has been made, and Google has a big problem on its hands. Then, five stories in brief on Amazon, Ransomware, Blue Apron, Nintendo, and car rental companies.
Blue Apron Files for IPO, Network Effects and Customer Acquisition Costs, Uber Concerns
Blue Apron’s S-1 raises some red flags about unit economics and lifetime value; Uber, meanwhile, lost its CFO, who suggested the company is missing some key financial controls
Mulesoft IPO, Okta S-1, Cohort Analysis in S-1s
Mulesoft and Okta are two examples of companies that are not just software-as-a-service companies themselves, but enablers of more. That should make traditional vendors nervous.
Snap S-1 Follow-up, Facebook’s Earnings, Hedging the Future of Advertising
From a business perspective, Snapchat isn’t like Apple at all. Then, Facebook further unveils its video strategy, and continues to invest in what may be the future of advertising.