This podcast is Alibaba’s 2020 earnings and the strategy implications. But it is really about how Alibaba is positioned as a “product / service + commerce infrastructure” business. And whether ByteDance can break into Chinese ecommerce with an “attention + mini programs strategy”. It’s really a cool and important question. You can listen to this […]
Kuaishou Technology went public in Hong Kong. From the IPO filing, the basic story is that Kuaishou does short videos and live streaming. It’s a video company. And these were the combined numbers reported at IPO: 305M average DAUs, in their apps and mini-programs in China. 769M average MAUs, in their apps and mini-programs in […]
Matthew Brennan has published: Attention Factory: The Story of TikTok and China’s ByteDance It’s a great read, with lots of interesting ideas about how to fight for attention. And how to manage information flows in a world overflowing with content and ideas. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts […]
I like Bytedance. I think they make great apps. Super engaging. With fantastic user interfaces. They are one of the most innovative mobile app companies on the planet. But they suck at internationalization. Their attempt to become China’s first international digital company has been a slow moving train wreck. Lots of us have been predicting […]
There was a good article this week in Insead Knowledge by Jason Davis and Vikas Aggarwal. What I liked about it was the below question it posed: “…an innovator’s attempts to innovate by mobilising in-house knowledge can often end up benefitting rivals more than the innovator, particularly when rivals share and propagate knowledge among each […]
In this class, I talk about the role of the state as a key factor in certain industries and countries. This tends to be a fuzzy, uncomfortable aspect when it comes to analysis. But it is fairly common for government to act as both policeman and player. And it can often be easy to […]
In this class, I talk about the share of the consumer mind as a revenue competitive advantage. And how companies like WeChat and TikTok are changing this with digital tools. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Related podcasts and articles: Why Didi Needs Driver Switching Costs. Uber Too. (Jeff’s […]
I recently went to the WeChat Open Talk meeting and founder Allen Zhang raised some questions that have really stuck with me. He talked about about the increasingly important role of information flows in daily life and who controls this. His talk is here but my basic take-away is the below question. How do you […]
In this class, I talk about why TikTok / Douyin took off so rapidly and powerfully. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Choose two options for why TikTok / Douyin has grown so fast. Addictive Product. Short personalized videos focused on memes, comedy, and lip syncs are a psychological […]
Cheers from Laos, I’m in the capital Vientiane getting a new visa. And it turns out this is sleepy city is a good place to hide during the coronavirus situation. No crowds. No subways. I rarely pass anyone on the street. I’m literally sitting all alone in a café right now. In terms of Asia […]