Stripe’s announcement of Treasury — banking-as-a-service — manifests the breadth of the company’s ambition.
Justice Department Sues to Block Visa Plaid Acquisition, Plaid’s Potential, Scalability and Antitrust
The Justice Department gets it right again with another lawsuit, this time against Visa’s acquisition of Plaid.
Amazon One, How Amazon One Works, Good or Bad Idea?
Amazon announces Amazon One: how does it work, and is the underlying technology a good idea?
Apple and Facebook
Apple and Facebook seem like they are in conflict, but have often been each other’s best partners.
Hey v Apple Follow-Up, Shopify and Walmart, Three Follow-Ups
Apple’s likely next steps, encouraging moves from Shopify, and quick thoughts on the EU versus Apple, Section 230, and Zoom and encryption
Facebook Invests in Jio Platforms, The Building of Jio, Understanding the Deal
Jio showed how the best way to serve the poor is to create a market for them, not simply give them charity like Facebook tried to do with Free Basics. That is why it makes sense for them to work together.
Visa/Plaid Follow-Up; Apple v FBI, Round 2; 2020 Differences
More on Visa/Plaid, including why payments in the U.S. and China are so different. Then, Apple is facing off against the FBI again, but its position is both stronger technologically and weaker politically.
Visa, Plaid, Networks, and Jobs
The history of credit cards helps explain why Plaid is valuable to Visa, and how Visa can make it significantly better.
PayPal Acquires Honey, What Honey Is, PayPal’s Play
PayPal bought Honey, which is best known as a browser extension. What does this mean for both end users and merchants, and which is more important?
Integration and Monopoly Follow-Up, Apple Paternalism, TikTok and CFIUS
More on Apple and restrictions on competition, and why it is different than Google. Then, Apple’s actions around vaping cross the line, plus why TikTok does not deserve the benefit of the doubt.