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In-depth analysis and expert insight into the location-based mobile platform.Google Updates Google’s new privacy policy is now in effect. Expect the sky to fall, or for all of your ads to be slightly better-targeted. Danny Sullivan points out that although Google+’s numbers don’t look good, Google is forgoing lots of revenue to promote the service. That’s telling. This Google search screenshot is making the rounds. The…
When Google announced Search, plus Your World, they made a dramatic decision: they’re embracing the paradigm of a web of people, rather than a web of verbs. And it’s a dangerous move.
There are two broad strategies for improving search engines: making them more aware of intents, or making them more aware of preferences. Most…
Netflix Splits DVDs and Streaming
Netflix has split its DVD business from its streaming business, perhaps in anticipation of spinning off one or the other. In the announcement, Netflix’s CEO specifically calls out AOL, which is facing exactly what he wants to avoid: half of the business belongs in some kind of asset-stripping private equity…
Yesterday we covered “Cannibals“—companies whose business model is pure status quo, and whose growth model destroys the status quo. They’re fun to track, but they’re intrinsically speculative: their entire business model is based on the existence of something that they’re arbitraging away.
The opposite is a special case of network effects: companies that have…
AirBNB’s Drastic Crisis Response
Hot on the heels of VC Charlie O’Donnell’s rousing defense of AirBNB, the company announced a new, dramatic policy: $50,000 in de facto insurance for all hosts. This opens AirBNB up to significant fraud risk; they may impose some pretty strict hurdles, or end up paying the $50,000 mostly to people who…
Alipay Settlement Doesn’t Impress Yahoo Shareholders
Yahoo’s Alipay settlement, announced early Friday morning, initially pushed the stock up. By the end of the day, Yahoo was down slightly. This was due, in part, to negative comments from analysts, who are still concerned that Yahoo essentially gave away part of an extremely valuable business.
Epocrates:…
Most popular web-based businesses are deflationary. They substitute expensive forms of content consumption for cheap ones, they make it logistically easier to deliver discounts to people who will respond to them, and they create numerous financially cheap forms of social status. As more activity moves on to the web, the main effect on the economy…
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