Facebook is acquiring tbh, another burgeoning social network; regulators erred in allowing the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions, but there is no better place to start enforcing the law than now.
Google’s HTC Deal, HTC — and Google’s — Motivations, Apple Watch and Apple Memory
Google has made a rather odd deal with HTC — basically an acquihire. What are the two company’s motivations? Then, Apple Watch news and reviews, and a smartphone-related acquisition that is actually more important than Google’s.
Uber and Yandex; Grab Raises $2 Billion; Softbank, Ride-Sharing, and Capital
Uber has made a deal in Russia that, to the extent it approximates China, is a great idea. However, the company may soon be knocked out of Southeast Asia: capital is the ultimate aggregator.
Acquisitions and Network Effects, Antitrust and Network Effects, The Saga of Whole Foods
Acquisitions that make sense involve network effects; that is why the long-term future of antitrust is about network analysis (not that it will affect this deal). Plus, John Mackey’s pragmatic fit with Amazon.
Amazon’s New Customer
The key to understanding Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods is to understand that Amazon didn’t buy a retailer: the company bought a customer.
Intel, Mobileye, and Smiling Curves
Intel is buying Mobileye; it’s an acquisition that makes sense once you realize how much value there is in components.
Twitter Sells Fabric, Snapchat User Growth Concerns, What Makes Snapchat Valuable?
Twitter sold Fabric, ending it’s too-late attempt to build the sort of company it should have been originally. Then, there may be concern about Snapchat’s user growth — thanks to Instagram? — but there is a strategy.
The Future of Enterprise Software, Atlassian Earnings, An Interview with Scott Farquhar
What does the future of enterprise software look like? Atlassian has an idea, so I interviewed their CEO.
Atlassian Buys Trello, Yahoo => Altaba
Atlassian acquired Trello in a deal that makes sense for Atlassian and also signifies increased consolidation in productivity software; then, Yahoo is nearly finished: the company was more important than we remember.
Ctrip Buys Skyscanner, Ctrip’s International Potential, Airbnb Rumored to Buy Xiaozhu
There is a lot of news about the Chinese travel space, particularly Ctrip’s acquisition of Skyscanner, but given the nature of travel it is news that resonates globally.