The spate of recent acquisitions in the gaming space — Take-Two and Zynga, Microsoft and Activision, and Sony and Bungie — make sense in the context of the Smiling Curve.
Intel Earnings; An Interview with Jay Goldberg About Nvidia, ARM, and Intel
Intel’s earnings showed lower margins, and it won’t be the last time. Then, an interview with Jay Goldberg About Nvidia, ARM, and Intel.
Microsoft Earnings, Microsoft Advertising, The Deflating Balloon
Microsoft had great earnings, but had to reassure investors all the same. Plus, new advertising efforts, and why shrinking private valuations help Redmond.
Netflix Earnings, The Competition Question, Netflix’s Long-Term Value
Netflix’s earnings were disappointing because of the subscriber numbers, but does the company have a bigger concern in terms of long-term profitability?
Microsoft Acquires Activision Blizzard, Notes on the Acquisition, An Interview With Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer
Breaking down Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, plus an interview with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer
Take-Two Acquires Zynga, The New York Times Buys The Athletic
Take-Two buys its way into mobile, and the New York Times re-bundles.
AWS re:Invent, re:Invent Announcements of Interest
AWS re:Invent keynote, with new CEO Adam Selipsky, charted a different path than that taken by Andy Jassy. Plus, the new announcements that caught my eye.
Spotify’s Earnings; Spotify’s Podcast Payoff; Universal, Taylor Swift, and Internet Power
Spotify’s earnings show that their strategy is working exactly as predicted; then, Universal is responding to Taylor Swift’s leveraging of Internet power.
Unity, Weta, and Faceless Platforms
Unity’s acquisition of Weta digital makes sense for both sides, and positions Unity to be an essential platform for tech’s future.
Unity Buys Weta Digital, An Interview with Unity CEO John Riccitiello
The Weta acquisition, Unity’s ambitions, their advertising business and relationship with Apple, and why Riccitiello thinks my understanding of the metaverse isn’t quite right.