User-Generated Video

TikTok and Quibi, TikTok and Shopify, TikTok Complications

Monday, June 8, 2020

Quibi — and Shopify! — explain why TikTok is so successful. As always, though, the TikTok story is complicated by the Chinese connection.

An Interview with Eugene Wei About the Half-Life of Information

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Listen to Podcast

In this Daily Update Interview Eugene Wei and I explore the idea of the half-life of information, and what that means for the value of Netflix, YouTube, Disney, and more.

Integration and Monopoly Follow-Up, Apple Paternalism, TikTok and CFIUS

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

More on Apple and restrictions on competition, and why it is different than Google. Then, Apple’s actions around vaping cross the line, plus why TikTok does not deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Why Cloudflare Matters, The Absence of Gatekeepers, Promotion Versus Moderation

Thursday, August 8, 2019

More on moderation, including why Cloudflare is important systematically, a reminder that there are no more gatekeepers, which means moderation is always reactive, and why Facebook and YouTube still deserve the most scrutiny.

The Wall Street Journal and Apple News, The Problem with Regulating Content, Australia’s Terrible New Law

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Why the Wall Street Journals’ deal with Apple isn’t so bad, and how that applies to YouTube. Plus, why content regulation isn’t workable, and a review of Section 230. Then, Australia passes a truly terrible law.

YouTube and Toxic Videos, YouTube’s Problematic Incentives, Sins of Omission and Commission

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

YouTube is undergoing the same scrutiny as Facebook, and is arguably even more to blame. The problem is not simply sins of omission (not finding bad content) but sins of commission (actively promoting it).

Nest’s Secret Microphone, YouTube and the Pollyanish Assumption — Again, Pinterest and Anti-Vaxxers

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Nest’s secret microphone shows that privacy still isn’t a priority at Google, and there is a connection to YouTube’s latest scandal. Then, what Pinterest gets right about a very hard problem.

AWS:reInvent and Outposts, AWS and Machine Learning; YouTube Retreats on Premium Video

Thursday, November 29, 2018

The AWS re:Invent conference had two important themes: the importance of hybrid offerings and machine learnings; then, unsurprisingly, YouTube’s premium video efforts ended up not working out.

Apple’s iPhone Event, Facebook Fact-Checking, Vimeo Pivots Again

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

A preview of Apple’s iPhone event, a revelatory controversy about Facebook fact-checking, and yet another pivot by Vimeo thanks to mistakes made years ago

Instagram Launches IGTV, IGTV’s Monetization, YouTube Channel Memberships

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Instagram’s launch of IGTV was impressive because of the clear thinking behind it; the long-term question, though, is about monetization, both for the service and for creators, something YouTube is good at.

Tim Cook Steps Down

An Interview with Eugene Wei About the Half-Life of Information

The Wall Street Journal and Apple News, The Problem with Regulating Content, Australia’s Terrible New Law

AWS:reInvent and Outposts, AWS and Machine Learning; YouTube Retreats on Premium Video

Tim Cook Steps Down

Panic Rankings: Pistons Picking Up the Pieces, Rockets on the Ropes, Blazers Pinching Pennies, and More from the NBA Playoffs

Play-In Chaos and Knueppel Slippage, Anyone But the Thunder, Title Picks and Awards Resolution

John Ternus and Apple’s Hardware-Defined Future, SpaceXAI and Cursor

TSMC Earnings, New N3 Fabs, The Nvidia Ramp

An Interview with F1 Driver and Venture Capitalist Nico Rosberg About the Drive to Win

Tim Cook Steps Down

Panic Rankings: Pistons Picking Up the Pieces, Rockets on the Ropes, Blazers Pinching Pennies, and More from the NBA Playoffs

Play-In Chaos and Knueppel Slippage, Anyone But the Thunder, Title Picks and Awards Resolution

An Interview with F1 Driver and Venture Capitalist Nico Rosberg About the Drive to Win

An Interview with Asymco’s Horace Dediu About Apple at 50

An Interview with Arm CEO Rene Haas About Selling Chips