Good morning. Hello from somewhere between Madison and Chicago. I’m in the car on the way to the airport, heading back to Taiwan. As I noted yesterday, updates for the rest of the week will come at odd hours, including, obviously, today’s. Thanks for your patience. Yesterday on the main site I asked Is BuzzFeedSubscribe […]
Daily Update: Payments – Affirm, Amazon, and Facebook Messenger?
Good morning, Quite a bit happened today across a wide range of industries, but today’s update is all about payments. Max Levchin to be CEO of Affirm A few weeks ago I wrote The Problem with Payments which argued innovation in payments is hard because there isn’t much margin available if you’re building on topSubscribe […]
Daily Update: Apple Announces Beats Acquisition, Beats Music to Remain on Android, Square Launches Cash Advance
Good morning, I wouldn’t have published Why Apple is Buying Beats were I not pretty certain that the deal was done; that said, it sure took a long time to become final, but final it is. That piece I wrote still applies, as does this podcast. On to the updates: Apple Announces Beats Acquisition FromSubscribe […]
Daily Update: GoPro Files for IPO, Angela Ahrendts’ and Apple Retail, Groupon Launching iPad Checkout System
I wrote a piece yesterday on Stratechery called The Net Neutrality Wake-up Call. While I did touch on some net neutrality specifics (again, I know), my broader point is that the collision of the political and technological worlds is only beginning; we as an industry would be well-served by getting involved sooner rather than later.Subscribe […]
Daily Update: Square Retrenching, Tencent Crushes Earnings, Cisco and the NSA
Good morning, In case you missed my announcement, I’m moving forward with Stratechery’s originally planned podcast, called Exponent. You can get all of the relevant feeds and links at Exponent.FM. On to the update: Square Retrenching Earlier this week Square withdrew Square Wallet from the app store and launched a new service called Square Order.Subscribe […]
Daily Update: Bitcoin and China, Samsung Earnings, International Plans for Xiaomi and Lenovo
Good morning, Please remember to update your GlassBoard, t-shirt, poster, and book preferences on your profile page if you have not already done so. Access members, also check out GlassBoard as I have a few ideas I want to put past you, and remember you can contact me directly by email here (the link isSubscribe […]
The Problem with Payments
Payments are one of the eternal tech rainbows,1 enticing startups and established companies alike with the promise of priceless data and incredible volumes. Many who dive in, though, like Google with Wallet, find it’s incredibly tough going. Square, for example, is burning through cash and may be acquired whether they want to be or not. […]