The Rise of Alibaba in 10 Slides (1 of 2) (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)

Years ago, I started mapping out the evolution of Alibaba with pictures. I was having a hard time keeping all the moving parts in mind. And I was becoming more and more convinced that digital company development is path dependent. What comes next depends on what just happened. Microsoft is only capable of its current […]

Get Ready for Alipay+ and Ant Group 2.0 (Tech Strategy – Podcast 129)

In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the return of Ant Group after 2 years in restructuring. He talks about Ant’s new international payment initiative, Alipay+, and how it could disrupt the global payments market. He also discusses the challenges that Ant faces in its new incarnation, such as regulatory scrutiny and competition from other tech giants.

Ant’s Newly Launched Alipay+ Is Outstanding Platform Strategy (1 of 2)(Tech Strategy – Daily Article)

A few years ago, I wrote about how Alibaba.com was launching an ambitious global platform strategy around B2B cross-border transactions. Alibaba.com was attempting to build a marketplace platform that digitized and democratized global trade. It was a sweeping vision. Basically, they were creating digital tools and connections that enabled SMEs to buy and sell products […]

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5 Predictions for Nubank 2.0 (Asia Tech Strategy – Podcast 116)

This week’s podcast is about Nubank, Brazil’s rapidly rising digital bank. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes and Google Podcasts. Here is my new book: Moats and Marathons (Part 1): How to Build and Measure Competitive Advantage in Digital Businesses Kindle Edition Here are my 5 predictions for Nubank 2.0 #1: Nubank Could Offer […]

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Stone Is Building a Digital-Physical Hybrid for Payments in Brazil (3 of 3) (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Lesson / Update)

In Part 2, I laid out the story of Stone Company, a Brazilian digital native that is building out payment, financial and enterprise services for SMEs. My basic take was: I like the company’s basic value proposition (payment plus working capital services) for smaller merchants, especially compared to what they get from local banks. I […]

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Berkshire-Invested Stone Co Has Now Dropped +80% in 2021 (Asia Tech Strategy – Podcast 109)

This week’s podcast is Brazilian Stone Company (STNE), the Berkshire Hathaway-invested payment platform that has fallen in share price by +80%. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes and Google Podcasts. Here is my new book (released December 1): Moats and Marathons (Part 1): How to Build and Measure Competitive Advantage in Digital Businesses Kindle Edition […]

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Look at Berkshire-Invested Stone Company Right Now (2 of 3)(Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Lesson / Update)

Stone Co is a Brazilian company that is attempting to build a payment and financial services suite for merchants in +5,000 cities. And they are targeting the country’s +8M small merchants, many of whom still operate in cash and do not get great services from traditional banks. That is a big, interesting and difficult idea. […]

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