Thoughts and notes from the FTC discussion on digital platform and competition, plus how Google’s remedy in Europe will mean more of the same when it comes to Android.
New Alexa Devices, Amazon and the EU Commission
Why is Amazon selling more Alexa devices? More broadly, do the company’s house brands leave it susceptible to an antitrust challenge?
The iPhone XR Delay, India, and China; Discriminatory Job Ads on Facebook; EU Versus Internet Follow-Up
More follow-up on the iPhone, then how discriminatory job ads on Facebook demonstrate how to police bad behavior on platforms with zero marginal costs. Plus, follow-up on The European Union Versus the Internet.
Android-EU Follow-Up, Google’s Earnings, Facebook and the Stock Market
Follow-up on Google’s EU decision, and a reminder that Google really good for consumers. Then, Google’s strong quarterly results, and why the understanding Facebook’s strategic advantages may be divorces from their stock price.
The European Commission Versus Android
Examining the history of Android explains why the European Commission may be right to fine Google for its actions around Android, even as the reasoning feels off.
Alexa and Cortana, Apple Moves Siri, Tim Cook’s Blindspot
Alexa and Cortana’s partnership makes sense when you consider the company’s business models, goals, and partnership impetus (and it shows why Apple and Google won’t come along). Then, why Siri’s reorganization won’t help much.
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.
Ends, Means, and Antitrust
Google is a monopoly, and almost certainly a bad actor: shopping, though, is a terrible example that shows how regulators can go wrong.
DistroKid, The “Publisher’s Right”, Shopify’s Results
Distrokid is small, but it’s a powerful example of the how distribution is not a value-add, the implications of which European publishers have yet to learn. It’s a lesson that doesn’t just apply to media, either.
Apple’s EU Tax Problem, How Apple Pays Taxes…Eventually, Everyone is a Loser
Apple has to pay Ireland a lot of money…maybe. Why this is probably a bad decision, and why everyone involved is a loser.