Category: Tech

Updated :: Upfront State of the VC & Tech Industry 2017

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

This is really good. I need to dissect it more and think about Asia in regards to some of the thoughts. Funny – Singapore is in the deck a few times but maybe not for what you think.

I wrote about the conference scene we are missing a little here so it is cool to have a nice deck to digest.

A good primer to the deck is this small digest from Mark Suster :: https://www.cooleygo.com/quarterly-vc-update-mark-suster-state-venture-capital-investing/

Back to the MacBook

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

My reasoning for originally buying the iPad Pro with the Apple keyboard was pretty simple. At the time it was the latest hardware from Apple – period. The MacBook was too small and not enough ports for me to invest in it as my main machine. I enjoyed the iPad and get could get my work done but for sure I was not as productive as I am with a real mac.

And it’s not just the keyboard but multitasking, real web browsers and apps not refreshing cause they are out of memory. That would happen so much – I can’t count how many times I was using safari to buy plane tickets and the browser would refresh and the form was blank. That just never happens on a mac – never.

So I tend to agree with Marco here :: https://marco.org/2017/01/31/the-wrong-future

iPads are cool and all but I don’t need it and since I got my MacBook Pro I haven’t touched it. Now my wife has it and loves it.

I dig my MacBook Pro and for sure I get more done on it than an iPad – period. I am not sure how Apple will solve the divide between iOS productivity and macOS but for sure it exists.

Standing up to Google 

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Check this rant from the Prof.

https://www.l2inc.com/no-mercy-no-malice/fool-me-twice

The shit sandwich here is that having legitimate news next to fake news has only made the Facebook platform more dangerous. When standing in line at Krogers, your bullshit filter is in high gear and you suspect HiIlary isn’t an alien, despite what the Enquirer and other supermarket tabloids tell you. However, the presence of the NYT and WaPo on Facebook has only legitimized fake news. Fuck.

Dear Hearst, Sulzberger, Murdoch, Newhouse, Burda families:

Remove your heads from your asses. Google and Facebook are your frenemy, minus the friend part. Turn off Google / Facebook / Twitter / Snapchat, form a consortium, and command the space you occupy. Take a page from LVMH’s playbook regarding their presence on Amazon — specifically how they’re not present on Amazon.

I tend to agree but guessing very few orgs have the guts to do anything about it.

Walmart and Jet

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Going to be interesting to see how this plays out. Prof. Galloway is professing a huge writedown is coming but I’m not sure yet. Mark is a shrewd operator and clearly possesses the skills but the issue issue is can Walmart become something big in ecommerce or not.

Here is the latest on the recent layoffs and Mark’s memo to staff :: http://fortune.com/2017/01/26/walmart-layoffs-ecommerce/

I am also wondering how this will play out internationally. Flipkart is toast in the face of a lone battle against Amazon – might make sense for Walmart to buy it and use it to careen through Asia. I never got why Flipkart with all the cash and over payed execs stuck to India only knowing Amazon and Alibaba would go global.

Fun times. Big bucks.

New DLD Galloway Video Up

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

I won’t lie – I dig this dude. I don’t agree with all of it but most of it.

Some highlights to track:

  • Amazon to keep kicking ass and become the biggest of the 4 horseman
  • Facebook and Google to leap ahead of Apple. I agree that Apple is in a funk but I also think Facebook’s core product will be in decline.
  • He says Snap won’t go public and will decline in value. We should see the answer to that soon.
  • Says the wearable market is a mess. I agree. I keep thinking but have not bought an Apple watch.
  • Say VR is not going to be huge. I agree. I think AR will be bigger.
  • He also gets into the morale responsibility of the large platform players and how thet pretend they can shirk things like fake news as an example. Will be interesting to see if this gets any attention but I think it won’t under Trump unless he picks a target.

All in all another good video from Scott.