Why TikTok and Shein Won Internationally. And Why WeChat and Kuaishou Didn’t. (Tech Strategy – Podcast 161)

In Tech Strategy Podcast 161, Prof Jeff discusses the international success of TikTok and Shein, contrasting it with the less global impact of WeChat and Kuaishou. He identifies three key factors: having a 10x product and user experience, offering a service that’s standardizable across borders, and the ability to build on or develop competitive advantages rapidly​.

TikTok, WeChat and the Need for an American Vision for Shaping Digital Information Flows.

A few years ago, I went to the WeChat Open Talk meeting in Guangzhou and founder Allen Zhang (see photo) gave a talk that really stuck with me. He talked about about the powerful role of information flows in society and life. And how the digitization of these information flows has created a situation where […]

How Generative AI Is Going to Disrupt YouTube, TikTok and OnlyFans (Tech Strategy – Podcast 152)

Generative AI is a rapidly developing technology that has the potential to disrupt many industries, including the content creation industry. Generative AI can be used to create new content, such as videos, images, and text, that is indistinguishable from human-created content. This means that generative AI could potentially replace human creators on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and OnlyFans.

Oracle Is Saving TikTok From Itself

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 […]

WeChat, TikTok and Capturing the Consumer Mind in a Digital Age (Tech Strategy – Podcast 36)

In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses how companies like WeChat and TikTok are changing the way businesses compete for consumers’ attention in the digital age. He argues that the share of the consumer mind is becoming a more important competitive advantage than ever before. Towson provides examples of how WeChat and TikTok are using digital tools to capture the consumer mind, and he discusses the implications for businesses of all sizes.