Google set up Android to avoid anti-trust; what they didn’t plan for was an extra monopoly, which means they’re very likely guilty. Plus, why I’m officially scared of unicorns
WeWork Now Worth $16 Billion, Google Joins Open Compute Project
My attempt last summer to justify WeWork’s $10 billion valuation is looking pretty good, but I’m not sure I can pull off the trick for $16 billion. Plus, the brilliant strategy of Facebook’s Open Compute Project
Voters Decide Follow-up, Slack Raising Money, Quitting Slack
Follow up on my article about Aggregation Theory and politics, and then a discussion of the import of Slack’s latest fundraising and why “Quitting Slack” stories aren’t representative.
Zenefits and Regulation
Zenefits fired its CEO after violating a number of regulations, and many people are drawing a connection to Uber. In fact, I think the situations are quite different; understanding why gives a framework for thinking about regulation.
Ellen Chisa: Crowdfunding and the Internet, An Overview of Crowdfunding Platforms, Creating a Sustainable Crowdfunding Platform
Ben is on vacation so today’s Daily Update guest writer is Ellen Chisa. Ellen is a former product manager at Kickstarter and is writing an overview of crowdfunding.
Semil Shah: How FANGAM Impacts Startups, How Startups Adjust to FANGAM, Investing in a FANGAM World
Ben is on vacation, so Semil Shah wrote a guest post about startups in a world dominated by FANGAM: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google, Apple, and Microsoft.
SpaceX Makes History, SpaceX and Unicorns, Disney in the Age of Abundance
SpaceX accomplished something truly momentous yesterday, and the company is a reminder that unicorns remain great investments. Plus, more on why I’m bullish on Disney
The Anti-Uber Alliance, WeChat Blocks Uber, Tiger Capital Invests in Uber
Didi Kuaidi, Ola, GrabTaxi, and Lyft are teaming up against Uber. Most are focused on Lyft, but they’re the least interesting part of this deal. Meanwhile, why is anyone surprised that Tencent would compete “unfairly”, plus, Tiger Capital hedges its bets.
Fidelity Reprices Again, Uber Partners with Tom-Tom, Lyft Struggling
Fidelity repriced some startups again, and it really isn’t that big of a deal. Plus, why Here may not have been right for Uber, and the struggles of Lyft.
Sequoia Scouts, Fidelity Cuts Value of Unicorns
Sequoia has been funding pre-angel investors called Scouts: the point isn’t to make money, but to gather information and build relationships. Then, Fidelity is marking down startups: is the sky falling?