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  • Curation and Algorithms

    More and more companies are announcing new products based on human curation, even as the most important content players — Google and Facebook — rely on algorithms. When does curation make sense, and when are algorithms better? And ultimately, who is responsible for both?

  • 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.

  • Apple Music and Apple’s Focus

    Apple Music was a muddled mess, which raised the question of why it exists in the first place. Is it important anymore? More importantly, is Apple having trouble remembering how to focus?

  • The Funnel Framework

    The Internet has removed scarcity, meaning business models based on controlling distribution are no longer viable. Instead, the key to success is controlling access to the best customers — and that means being the best.

  • 21 Inc. and the Future of Bitcoin

    Bitcoin is commonly characterized as an alternative currency, but actually the core concept has little to do with money. The potential as a protocol is massive, but only if everyone everywhere is connected to the network. 21 Inc. is trying to make that happen.

  • Apple Watch and Continuous Computing

    The Apple Watch’s success depends on three things: the physical design, the interaction model, and how it interacts with its environment. It’s on the right track

  • Verizon-AOL, Facebook Instant Articles, and the Future of Digital Advertising

    Two seemingly unrelated stores — Verizon buying AOL. and Facebook offering publishers the option of Instant Articles — are actually very much connected: advertising online is undergoing a fundamental shift, and while there will be a few big winners, there will be a lot more losers.

  • The AWS IPO

    AWS has long been a question mark when it comes to Amazon: it’s a good idea, and it makes money, but like it’s parent company, will it ever be profitable? The revelation that AWS is already very profitable indeed is a really big deal both for AWS but also for Amazon itself.

  • Twitter Needs New Leadership

    Yesterday Twitter released very disappointing quarterly results, with misses on both user and revenue growth. From the Wall Street Journal: Twitter Inc. delivered its weakest quarterly revenue growth as a publicly traded company, casting a shadow on its fledgling advertising business, which until now has been a consistent bright spot. Investors, who sent the company’s stock…

  • Facebook and the Feed

    In a week where much of the Internet was all atwitter about Mobilegeddon, Google’s pre-announced algorithm change that will favor mobile-friendly sites in mobile search results, a potentially far more impactful announcement was much more of a surprise: Facebook is tweaking the News Feed algorithm. This is a big deal for publishers in particular: according to…