JD vs. Alibaba: How Retailers and Marketplace Platforms Compete and Evolve in China (Tech Strategy – Podcast 18)

In this podcast episode of Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, Jeffrey Towson discusses the competitive advantages of JD and Alibaba, two of the largest retailers in China. He argues that JD’s competitive advantages include its strong logistics network and its focus on customer service, while Alibaba’s competitive advantages include its large user base and its ability to connect buyers and sellers.

WeChat Work and Why Enterprise Tools Will Be Very Different in Mobile-First China

I attended the WeChat Open Class in Guangzhou and WeChat Work 3.0 was one of the big topics this year. There is a growing suite of digital tools for enterprise management, communication and collaboration. And they raise some fascinating strategy questions. It’s clear that enterprise tools in mobile-first China are going to evolve differently. These […]

How Should Huawei Have Responded to the US Tech Ban? Part 1 (Tech Strategy – Podcast 14)

In this class, Jeffrey Towson discusses four options that Huawei could have taken to respond to the US tech ban. These options include fixing the supply chain and staying the course, becoming a digital platform, ignoring Europe and focusing mostly on China, and trying to build an anti-US alliance for smartphone operating systems. Towson argues that Huawei should have focused on becoming a digital platform, as this would have allowed the company to continue to innovate and grow.