A bit of follow-up from yesterday’s post on WeWork, and a broader discussion about the ongoing bubble talk and the squeeze on VC. Then a discussion on Uber’s losses and why no one should be surprised, and finally the end of Microsoft’s consumer business.
WeWork Worth $10 Billion, Three WeWork Comps
WeWork has shocked almost everyone by raising money at a $10 billion valuation, just months after raising at $5 billion. How on earth does this make sense? The answer might be found by making comparisons between WeWork and three seemingly unrelated companies. In the end, though, absent real numbers we can only look at the investors.
Summer Update, Slack Strong, The Dropbox Cautionary Tale
Slack has more numbers out, and while from a certain perspective the company still seems small, a step back reveals just how significant the opportunity is. Still, nothing is guaranteed, and Dropbox happens to offer a very useful cautionary tale.
Unicorns Follow-up; Uber, Contractors, and Employees; Microsoft and the End of the Ballmer Era
This Daily Update follows up on my Unicorns article by pointing out how the behavior of most late-stage investors is totally rational. Then, a discussion about a recent decision by the California Labor Commission that one Uber driver is an employee, not a contractor, and a translation of Microsoft’s latest reorganization.
Unicorns
There are a lot of unicorns, but not all unicorns are created equally: even if some die the value of them in aggregate is significant.
Evernote Seeking New CEO, E3 and the End of Exclusives, Playstation Vue’s “A La Carte” Offering
In a shocking — but perhaps not surprising — announcement Evernote CEO Phil Libin said the company would be seeking a new CEO. How well is Evernote doing, and will they ever become a private company?
E3 Day Zero was also yesterday, and while Sony in particular had some compelling announcements for an old guy like me, how sustainable is the current console business given the end of exclusives? Also, Sony’s Playstation Vue announcements sounds like a big deal, but they’re really not interesting at all.
Uber in China, Didi Kuaidi Raising $1.5 Billion, China Scale and Apple Maps
It seems that Uber is doing far better in China than expected. How is the company succeeding where other western companies have failed, and is their success sustainable? Plus fundraising news from Uber’s biggest competitor, and some amazing numbers about China’s scale.
Daily Update: Valuation Versus Risk Bubbles, Apple Watch Reviews Drop
Good morning, A couple of days ago a bug in my membership software exposed several Daily Updates to RSS subscribers. I apologize to all of you; as I’ve noted I’m in the middle of transitioning the site to a new membership system that should address these issues once and for all. News on that frontSubscribe […]
It’s Not 1999
The question of whether or not we are in a tech bubble has been raised regularly for years now; 2012, particularly Facebook’s acquisition of an app1 called Instagram for a ridiculous2 $1 billion, was a particular high point. The fact that Instagram is now valued at $35 billion suggests the 2012 doomsayers were just a […]
Daily Update: Apple Watch’s Bad Messaging; On Meerkat, Periscope, and Bad Journalism
Good morning, There will be a new Exponent later today; James and I discussed BuzzFeed and the Brother Orange story as well as the Amazon Dash Button and Home Service. On to the longer-than-usual Daily Update. I got a little rant-y. Apple Watch’s Bad Messaging Speaking of podcasts, I was on John Gruber’s The TalkSubscribe […]