Tencent’s earnings were good, but as opaque as always. Still, there are insights to be gleaned about advertising in particular, and what that says about Messenger and WhatsApp.
Facebook Messenger Rolling Out Ads, Facebook’s Product Development Strategy, How Should Messenger Monetize?
Facebook Messenger is rolling out display ads that feel like a shortcut to monetization, a discouraging sign for both the short and long term.
The New York Times Versus Uber, Uber Versus Apple, Apple Versus Tencent
The New York Times has a story about Uber and Apple that had a fundamental flaw and lacked context; then, Apple won this round against Tencent, but this is a battle to watch
Twitter/Snapchat/Instagram Follow-up; LINE Earnings; Samsung Batteries, Monopsony Power, Earnings
More evidence of faltering Snapchat growth, and a cautionary tale from LINE. Then, lots of news from Samsung, a company doing much better than most think.
Microsoft Teams versus Slack, Facebook Earnings
A follow-up on Microsoft Teams and Slack after having used the former; then, Facebook’s Earnings were more concerning than expected.
Slack and the Macintosh, Microsoft Teams, Slack’s Ad
Slack made Microsoft’s Teams announcement much more exciting with a taunting ad in the New York Times, an echo of Apple’s ad welcoming IBM to the PC. That may not be the precedent that Slack wants.
Chat and the Consumerization of IT
What does the consumerization of IT even mean? Workplace by Facebook, Skype Teams from Microsoft, and Slack offer three definitions.
Is AWS a Commodity?, Chat App Updates: WeChat, Facebook, and Google
The conventional wisdom is that AWS is a commodity, but that only makes sense in the context of the old world. Then, Google tries to catch up to Facebook which tries to catch up to WeChat which is leaping ahead.
WWDC Preview; Line Files for IPO; Yahoo, Twitter, Snapchat and Messaging
Apple’s services messaging is the most important part of WWDC, plus LINE is about to IPO and the challenges of messaging
Twilio Files for IPO, Building Infrastructure, Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2016
An overview of Twilio’s IPO and the role of infrastructure, and then my favorite slides from Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends deck.