Airbnb started out as a relatively simple premise: make some extra money by offering travelers a bed, a place to work, and breakfast. Instead of going through the complicated process of opening and running an actual bed and breakfast, a homeowner could “share” their space with others. Jump ahead 15 years and Airbnb is a platform with more than $60 billion of booking volume per year.

The idea behind Airbnb isn’t revolutionary…

News of GM dialing back its EV sales targets wasn’t met with much surprise. Elon Musk’s downbeat Tesla earnings call a week prior had already lowered EV demand expectations. However, the question remains: Is EV demand declining simply because of higher interest rates resulting in higher financing costs? It’s prudent not to box ourselves into such a narrow explanation. Instead, there is a bigger problem at play. EVs are waiting for, and…

We still have two months to go in 2023. A lot can and will likely happen. However, we are already able to point to a few broad tech themes that have come to define the year.

It’s been a very busy two months for consumer gadget enthusiasts. With Samsung kicking off the fall product cycle earlier than usual in July to Google’s product event in NYC last week, we now have a good view of how tech companies are positioned heading into the holiday season. As the gadget recession rages on while AI mania remains palpable, the way companies are thinking about hardware is splintering leading to more…

Earlier this week, Google held its annual fall event for new products. Along with new hardware, Google unveiled various AI-powered editing features for photos taken on Pixel 8 smartphones. The features make me nervous about where we are headed from the perspective of AI.

Among the announcements, the following three new features stood out to me:

For the better part of the past decade, there has been talk of the U.S. government coming down hard on Big Tech. Upset and frightened by how a handful of companies have grabbed so much power, lawmakers and regulators have tried to sound tough about doing the hard work to protect the public. At least based on the early battles to date, the bark has been worse than the bite. Earlier this…

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…