I think in many respects these two examples capture why I'm so conflicted about the company. Amazon is a portfolio of lots of companies that have interconnected dependencies and technologies. It's almost like a self-contained incubator where they find stuff that works it generates cash, invest that cash in building up other stuff and seeing if it works. Being a marketplace is a very lucrative place to be right? But also losing fluidity and flexibility and leverage you get from more of a pure marketplace.
In this week’s episode Ben and James discuss BuzzFeed in the context of the Brother Orange story, then talk about Amazon’s Dash Button and Home Services initiative, along with a dive into the technical details of Amazon’s balance sheet (sorry, it’s a bit dry) and why Ben is nervous.
Links
- Matt Stopera: I Followed My Stolen iPhone Across The World, Became A Celebrity In China, And Found A Friend For Life – BuzzFeed
- Ben Thompson: Why BuzzFeed is the Most Important News Organization in the World – Stratechery
- Matt Stopera: Who Is This Man And Why Are His Photos Showing Up On My Phone? – BuzzFeed
- Peter Osborne: Why I have resigned from the Telegraph – OpenDemocracy
- Introducing Amazon Dash Button – Amazon
- Introducing Amazon Dash Replenishment Service – Amazon
- Amazon Home Services – Amazon
- Ben Thompson: Losing my Amazon Religion – Amazon
- Timothy Green: Amazon.com Inc. Is Losing More Money Than You Think – Motley Fool
- Marc Bain: Consumer culture has found its perfect match in our mobile-first, fast-fashion lifestyles – Quartz
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