In Part 1, I made a distinction between the development of cloud and enterprise software. There is a sweeping new cloud architecture emerging at the same time almost every B2B enterprise software and service company is trying to become a platform or ecosystem. It’s pretty crazy. For enterprise software and services companies, the price of entry […]
The Didi financials are finally out. And they are an interesting mix of good and bad. Didi has market dominance and tech leadership in the largest market for shared mobility. But it is also chronically unprofitable. For investors, this could be a fantastic opportunity. Because Didi’s ongoing losses will scare off investors and likely lower […]
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses why Didi Chuxing, the dominant ride-hailing company in China, is still unprofitable. He explores the factors that have contributed to its dominance, such as its scale and its network effects, and he discusses the challenges that it faces in becoming profitable. For example, he discusses how Didi has to invest heavily in research and development, and how it has to compete with other ride-hailing companies that are also losing money.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the concept of “criticality” as a type of switching cost. He specifically talks about Wabco, one of Warren Buffett’s companies that has fairly powerful B2B criticality. Wabco is a supplier of braking systems for trucks and buses, and its products are critical to the operation of these vehicles. As a result, customers are reluctant to switch to other suppliers, even if Wabco’s prices are higher. This gives Wabco a strong competitive advantage.
In this episode of the Asia Tech Strategy podcast, Jeffrey Towson shares his 9 investment questions. These questions can help you evaluate companies for investment by assessing their competitive strengths, market size, and management team. Towson also discusses the importance of building digital moats, which are sustainable competitive advantages that make it difficult for competitors to imitate.
I like the saying that winning in digital B2C is like catching lightning in a bottle. But winning in digital B2B is more like mining. The former happens really fast but is difficult to predict. The latter is slower but pretty reliable when you’re in the right spot. You just keep digging away over time. […]
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the three effects of network effects, and how they can be used to create a competitive advantage. He also talks about So-Young, a Chinese marketplace for beauty services, and how it is using network effects to grow its business.
I’ve been teaching a private equity class at CEIBS in Shanghai for like 5 years. I call it private equity but it’s really about how to analyze companies and investments. Regardless of whether it is private or public. Whether the approach is active or passive. It’s basically my checklists, which are 9 questions. I’ve mentioned […]
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses four problems with Michael Porter’s Five Forces framework. He argues that the framework does not work for dynamic and non-classical strategy terrains, platforms and ecosystems, SMILE marathon dimensions, particularly innovation, and the emergence of a connected, digital world.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses four problems with Hamilton Helmer’s 7 Powers framework. He argues that the framework is too simplistic, does not account for the role of technology, and does not take into account the different competitive dynamics in different industries.