Xiaomi’s IPO shows a company that has come full circle but still has a long ways to go. Then, Samsung remains reliant on components for profit, and both companies show that the Smiling Curve applies to smartphones more than ever.
Intel and the Danger of Integration
Intel is in an increasingly bad position in part because it has been captive to its integrated model. Or, you could simply say they were disrupted.
Morris Chang Retires; Apple, Microsoft, Facebook Follow-Up; Who Gets to Be on the Steam Store?
Morris Change, the founder of TSMC, is one of the most important tech figures in history. Then, follow-up on Microsoft-GitHub, Apple and the App Store, and Facebook and the New York Times. Plus, why Valve is getting platform control right.
Okta’s Developer Conference, An Interview with Okta CEO Todd McKinnon
An interview with Okta CEO Todd McKinnon on the occasion of the company’s developer conference.
The Bill Gates Line
Understanding the differences between aggregators and platforms matters for companies interacting with them and also regulators considering antitrust.
The Moat Map
The Moat Map describes the correlation between the degree of supplier differentiation and the externalization (or internalization) of a company’s network effect.
The Facebook Brand
The Facebook brand is, due to Facebook’s strategic choices, about not respecting privacy. That is why the Cambridge Analytica story is such a problem for the company.
Google Sells Zagat to The Infatuation, The Infatuation and Zagat, More on Google and AMP
A review of why Google bought Zagat, what The Infatuation might do with the review site, and the parallels with the AMP project.
More on Chrome and AMP, The Case Against Google, Decentralization and Paradigm Shifts
More on Chrome and AMP, and what The Case Against Google gets wrong about Microsoft. Then, why decentralized networks are aggregator kryptonite.
Google’s Earnings, Amazon’s Earnings
Google gives greater clarity to its acquisition costs, and cloud continues to grow. Amazon, though, still has a big lead, funding the rest of the company (still).