Last week, we looked at how U.S. states proposing bans on gas-powered cars is not a development that EV proponents should be applauding or supporting. Instead, EVs need to stand on their own in terms of appealing to consumers and winning over switchers (from gas). Staying in the auto space for one more week, we turn to the developing UAW (United Auto Workers) strike. The UAW is a union covering 400,000…

Earlier this week, I was in California to attend the Apple event. In what has now become a routine observation for me, the 15 to 20 Tesla vehicles seen in one city block in Silicon Valley (the Cupertino/Saratoga area to be specific) caught my attention. It’s still a sight to behold for me because in most parts of Connecticut it’s rare to see more than 10 Tesla vehicles on the road in…

Instead of the Bob Chapek to Bob Iger transition being a smooth one for Disney, a spotlight has been put on the many troubles and problems that ushered in the change. Yesterday, CNBC published a 12,000-word exposé into Disney’s CEO transition. One needed a cold shower after reading the story. While we can debate some parts of the story and question the motives of unnamed sources, it’s impossible to deny that Disney…

Last week, Instacart filed its Form S-1 for going public. Since IPOs are dependent more on narratives and timing than financials, the company and its bankers appear to have great timing. The brand has made significant inroads with the general public in the past few years and yet has plenty of growth potential for getting in front of new customers. Diving into the Form S-1, the narrative is in full effect as…

In what has become something of a quarterly tradition, people are once again sounding the alarm about video streamers raising subscription prices. Disney was the latest company to announce higher prices with Disney+ (with no ads) seeing a 27% price increase and Hulu (with no ads) seeing a 20% increase. Despite drawing anger and frustration, continued price increases end up being one of the better developments for an industry that has been…

After downplaying prospects of facilitating sports gambling in the late 2010s, Disney’s Bob Iger has had a change of heart. Earlier this week, ESPN announced a partnership with Penn Entertainment that boils down to ESPN getting paid to have its brand be used to promote sports gambling. The deal is wrapped in the reality of what live sports has become.

Set within the video streaming landscape, sports continues to be the most…

In the second half of the 2010s, Big Tech looked unstoppable from a financial perspective. Revenue growth rates were through the roof. The biggest problem found with hiring was finding enough office space. New headquarters were the rage. Under the hood, ambitions knew no limits with most of Big Tech looking well beyond their core competencies for future growth opportunities.

Then the pandemic hit. Instead of putting an end to the growth…

Out of all the changes Elon Musk has pushed through at Twitter, rebranding the company to X fits him best. It’s not a business model change, such as pushing paid subscriptions, or a new product feature like allowing longer tweets. Instead, it’s the most outward example of Musk putting his stamp on the company.

In coming up with rationale for the rebranding, Musk put forth an argument of Twitter evolving into something…

The fact that the Hollywood actor and writer strikes (the first time both have gone on strike at the same time in more than 60 years) have not led the online news cycle speaks volumes. Simply put, consumers now have viable video alternatives to Hollywood. In the past week, none of my video content consumption came from professional actors or writers. That isn’t meant to be a knock on such professions but…

The Text Social Wars Will Be Overrated

The video and audio wars have been unfolding for the past decade. In video, we have various battles being waged in paid, free, and algorithm-driven verticals. In audio, podcasts are being used as a way of improving music’s lack of attractive streaming economics for the distributor. These battles, including all the accompanying ups and downs, have been well-telegraphed and chronicled. Set within this content landscape…

The Reddit / Apollo Fiasco

The all-out feud between Reddit and Apollo has offered onlookers a little bit of everything. We have independent developer versus Big Business tension. Reddit, a social news network with approximately 60 million daily users, is looking to IPO later this year. Apollo, a third-party Reddit client for iOS and iPadOS, has become a symbol of much larger themes that transcend a third-party client. Questions are swirling regarding…

TikTok vs. Pixar

Last weekend, Disney saw its second-weakest box office opening for a Pixar film. “Elemental” brought in just $30 million domestically during opening weekend. This has led to various accusations being thrown at Disney CEO Bob Iger, who just saw his CFO resign last week, as to what happened. Talk about a tough stretch.

In what have become perennial excuses, some are saying Disney’s issue is relying too much on…

Criticism facing Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro headset has centered around a consistent theme: Isolation. Wearing the headset has raised concerns for some that society is headed in the wrong direction as we are increasingly removed from our surroundings. This isolation concern is said to be found with those wearing the headset, as well as those wanting to share experiences with headset wearers. A scene of a dad wearing Vision Pro to capture…

Earlier this week, Apple unveiled Vision Pro, its first headset. After spending 30 minutes using the headset at Apple Park, it was clear that the technology powering Vision Pro is going to change the world. Entire industries will implode while new ones will be born. Spatial computing headsets will not be a novelty toy only found in tech circles. Instead, we are going to see the headsets usher in new competitive battles…

Last week, NVIDIA’s market capitalization rose by $183 billion. The post-earnings move represented the third-largest daily market cap shift to date. It was close to winning the title for the all-time largest daily move. It was very on point for such a remarkable occasion to be connected to the AI craze that has swept over Silicon Valley, and increasingly Wall Street, in 2023. The way ChatGPT came on the scene and got…

Disney finds itself in an awkward place. From a financial perspective, things are humming along. Disney Parks are busy printing cash. Linear networks are offsetting ongoing losses in streaming.  From a PR perspective, the Disney train is off the rails. Bob Iger is embroiled in an all-out feud with Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida. Caught in the crosshairs: Disney Imagineering – one of the storied groups within the company, responsible for customer-facing…

The 2010s was a fascinating decade for the digital publishing space. As hundreds of millions of people embraced smartphones for the first time and social media giants found their footing, the way we consume media began to change. Vice Media was a key player in this shift. Put on the map by intriguing video reporting from Iraq, North Korea, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, Vice rode the new media wave to the top, getting…

It’s been six months since Elon Musk took over Twitter. Given seemingly daily crises and shocking revelations, it feels much longer than six months. One thing is for sure: Musk is shaping Twitter to his liking. The number of Twitter employees has been reduced by a whopping 90%. The blue check mark era ended abruptly. A war on tweets with outward links has been waged.

Along with those user-facing changes, Musk has…

Ahead of this year’s MLB (Major League Baseball) season, there was genuine concern that a pitch clock would ruin the game. A month into the shortened-game era, and it’s tough to find much of a debate about the pitch clock. Fans love it. The change is a great example of how live sports are being impacted by other uses for our time, including social media and free streaming video. One can’t shake…

The media universe was shaken to its core earlier this week as news of Tucker Carlson getting fired from Fox News was followed within minutes of CNN firing Don Lemon. Both were arguably their network’s most outspoken talking heads. Bad news is said to come in threes. One day later, Nate Silver was out at ABC News, torn away from his 538 blog that he started in 2008.

While there are stark…