I spent Singles’ Day 2017 visiting Alibaba and meeting with management (see Part 1 and Part 2 here). And one big highlight of the visit was a group influencer dinner with Alibaba Vice-Chairman and co-founder Joseph Tsai. He was always the guy I listened to about Alibaba. Jack Ma is famous but doesn’t really speak the language […]
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the emerging art of ecosystem management. He argues that ecosystems are more important than platforms in the digital economy, and that companies need to focus on orchestrating and managing their ecosystems in order to succeed. He compares Alibaba’s ecosystem to Android’s, and argues that both companies have been successful because they have created ecosystems that are open and collaborative.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson argues that the term “Alibaba ecosystem” is misleading, and that the company’s success is better explained by its focus on collaboration-based industries and business models. He discusses the importance of open and inclusive ecosystems, and provides examples of other companies that have been successful by following this approach. For example, Towson cites the success of Android, which has become the world’s most popular mobile operating system by creating an open and inclusive ecosystem that allows developers to create apps for a wide range of devices.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses how Bytedance’s “attention factory” business model is a threat to Facebook. He argues that Bytedance’s ability to collect and analyze user data, combined with its focus on short-form content, gives it a significant competitive advantage. Towson believes that Facebook needs to adapt its business model to compete with Bytedance.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses how Ant Financial has used sustained innovation to maintain its competitive advantages. He argues that network effects are a double-edged sword, as they can lead to complacency and a lack of innovation. Towson also discusses the importance of adaptation and resilience in the digital age.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson and Martin Reeves discuss how Alibaba has adapted, innovated, and built resilience in the face of challenges. Reeves argues that adaptability and rate of learning are critical parts of strategy, and he shares insights from his work with Alibaba on how to build a resilient organization.
There is an interesting company in China called MyTherapist. It is a digital marketplace platform for services. But instead of connecting consumers with drivers and restaurants, it connects them with therapists and life coaches. That is a really interesting idea and highlights how marketplace platforms are really still in their infancy. Marketplace platforms began with […]
Ant Financial is a Chinese financial technology company that provides a variety of financial services, including payments, lending, and insurance. Ant has revolutionized finance in China by providing convenient, affordable, and accessible financial services to millions of people. Ant is facing challenges from regulatory scrutiny and competition from other tech giants, but it is well-positioned to continue to grow and disrupt the financial services industry.
Ant Financial (now Ant Group) filed for IPO and there are tons of cool insights in their filing document. I’ve already written about the overall strategy, which is basically 3 platform business models combined. Ant Financial Is 3 Platform Business Models Combined. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Daily Lesson / Update) In that article, I […]
The IPO filing I have been waiting two years for finally arrived. Alipay / Ant Financial (now called Ant Group) has filed. And their +600 page prospectus is just a fantastic read. But it’s a lot. I have 40 pages of notes. So I thought I would begin with some of the key points. This […]