Breaking down the AT&T acquisition of Time Warner: why most antitrust criticism is wrong, what AT&T stands to benefit, why Time Warner is the big winner, and what regulators ought to focus on.
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.
A Review of Apple Pay and Apple Leverage, Apple Versus Australia’s Banks, Consumers and Competition
There is a fascinating story unfolding in Australia over the attempt by banks to stand up to Apple Pay. What is happening, why, and what it says about competition in a world of aggregation.
Snapchat’s Facebook Moment, China Cracks Down on Apps and Social Networks
A quick follow-up on Tesla, where Elon Musk continues to demonstrate how not to win the battle over self-driving cars. Then, Snapchat is getting the Facebook treatment, some of it legitimate, and some of it not, and China is cracking down on apps and social networks
Airbnb Raising Money, Airbnb and Hotels?, Airbnb Sues San Francisco
Airbnb is raising money, and if you view them as an OTA competitors, the valuation makes sense. Still, the company needs to address its externalities problem, and hotels could help.
The Brexit Possibility
Brexit’s downsides are clear; might tech help realize upsides in building something new based on a new world order?
Brexit and Tech: The Narrow View, HBO Versus Netflix, Amazon Dash Buttons
There is a broader story to be told about Brexit and tech, but today the narrower view of its impact. Then, why Netflix and HBO are different, and how Amazon’s Dash buttons demonstrate the company’s strength and the CPG industry’s weakness.
Brexit and Tech; More on Musk, Tesla, and Solar City; The Allure of Live: Facebook and ESPN
Why Brexit would be bad for U.S. tech companies, Why Tesla May be Hurt Even if Solar City Isn’t Acquired, and the power of live for escapism and sports
Peter Thiel, Comic Book Hero
What Gawker did to Peter Thiel is inexcusable, but Thiel’s response is threatening to the industry that made him rich in the first place.
Trouble at Lending Club, Lending Club and Aggregation Theory, What Went Wrong
FinTech seems like the perfect application of Aggregation Theory, but over this past week it has blown up in the face of serious issues at Lending Club. The mistakes that were made in do to a degree validate why I haven’t covered the space to date.