Airbnb has acquired Hotel Tonight, three years too late. The question is whether Airbnb wants to own a subset of the travel market, or the whole thing — and abandon its view of itself.
Amazon Acquires Eero, Owning the Home, Amazon’s Earnings
Amazon acquires Eero, solidifying its play for the home. Then, Amazon’s Earnings show an e-commerce business that is slowing.
The Experience Economy
SAP’s acquisition of Qualtrics shows how the shift in technology has changed business; it is a perfect example of using the Internet to one’s advantage.
IBM’s Old Playbook
IBM has bought Red Hat in an attempt to recreate its success in the 90s; it’s not clear, though, that the company or the market is the same.
Patreon Acquires Memberful, An Interview with Patreon CEO Jack Conte and Memberful CEO Drew Strojny
An interview with Patreon CEO Jack Conte and Memberful CEO Drew Strojny on the occasion of Patreon acquiring Memberful, the membership software used by Stratechery. This Daily Update is free for everyone.
Apple’s Map Reset; CarPlay, Waze, and Google Maps; Disney Acquisition of 21st Century Fox Approved
Apple Maps is getting a reset; what is more encouraging is the company inviting competition. Then, Disney gets approval for its purchase of 21st Century Fox, and it raises questions about the entire process.
Amazon Acquires PillPack, PillPack’s Alignment With Amazon, The Walmart Miss
Amazon’s acquisition of PillPack makes a lot of sense for both companies, and it’s hard to argue that consumers won’t be the ultimate beneficiaries.
Disney Ups Bid for 21st Century Fox, Disney’s Choice, AT&T to Acquire AppNexus?
The AT&T-Time Warner decision that I has set off a chain reaction with an uncertain ending: Comcast and Disney are competing for 21st Century Fox, and AT&T may be getting into digital advertising.
AT&T, Time Warner, and the Need for Neutrality
It is no surprise that a judge allowed the AT&T-Time Warner acquisition to proceed given the government’s poor case; the question is if a better case could have been made. What is ultimately needed, though, are new laws.
The Cost of Developers
Microsoft paid a lot for GitHub, because it had to pay directly for access to developers. It doesn’t have the leverage of users the way that Apple does on the App Store.