Venture Capital
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Silicon Valley Bank bears responsibility for its demise, but it symbolizes a Silicon Valley reality that is very different from the myth — and the ultimate cause is tech itself.
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Uber represents something new: a company that is different than incumbents because of technology, yet not itself a tech company — just like the Venture Fund is not a VC.
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Venture Capital has been transformed by a surprising source: Amazon. Ultimately, no industry is safe from the impact of the Internet.
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The Scooter Economy
Scooters are everywhere, and the use case is amazing. What is not so clear, though, is how scooter companies can build strong businesses, which means consumers are the real winners.
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The Athletic Raises $20 Million, Four Stories on Tech and Politics
The Athletic is right to go for it, and raise more VC money. Then, tech and politics is only becoming more complicated as national security concerns enter the debate.
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More Spotify; Spotify, Uber, and Airbnb; Uber, Waymo, and SoftBank
A bit more on Spotify, and then the lessons to be learned by Uber and Spotify. Plus, a potential Uber-Waymo partnership, and why they company will likely sell-out in Southeast Asia.
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Lessons From Spotify
Spotify has a marginal cost problem, but while the cause is unique to Spotify, the challenges are more applicable than it seems.
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Tech’s Person of the Year; Uber at the End of 2017; Fowler’s True Impact, and Means
Susan Fowler is tech’s person of the year, both because of her impact on Uber and on the tech industry broadly.
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Pro-Neutrality, Anti-Title II
Any regulation, including those around net neutrality, should be put to a cost-benefit analysis. In this case regulation advocates come up short.
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Stitch Fix and the Senate
Stitch Fix is a perfectly fine company that is a big startup success, in part because it paid attention to costs. It is very problematic that the Senate is threatening that, and potentially entrenching incumbents.
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Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash, TL;DR: The Bitcoin Paradox, Uber-Softbank Deal
Bitcoin versus Bitcoin Cash looks like a pump-and-dump deal; that, though underscores the paradox underlying Bitcoin’s value. Then, Uber and Softbank reach a deal that will reflect the fact Uber didn’t kill Lyft.
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Gatekeepers Follow-Up, Hollywood and Venture Capital, The New York Times versus Tech
The removal of Gatekeepers should not drive the demand for new ones; then, why venture capital has a lot in common with Hollywood, which should serve as a warning. Finally, a reminder, courtesy of the New York Times, of why the Fake News campaign is dangerous.


