The Tech Strategy Podcast

This week’s podcast is about web 3.0. I view most successful web 3.0 companies like Coinbase as platform-protocol hybrids.You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes and Google Podcasts.------From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Protocol NetworksPlatform-Protocol Hybrids / Web 3.0From the Company Library, companies for this article are:Coinbase-------I write and speak about digital competition and China / Asia’s leading tech companies.My book Moats and Marathons details how to measure competitive advantage in digital businesses.This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show

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 EditionHere are my 5 predictions for Nubank 2.0#1: Nubank Could Offer Asset-Lite Credit Services#2: Nubank Could Create a Complementary Marketplace Platform for Investment and Insurance Products#3: Nubank Will Go Cross-Border and Offer a Growing Suite of Financial Services Products#4: Nubank Could Launch Mini-Programs within the Payments App#5: Nubank Could Externalize Financial Cloud Services---——Related articles:Brazilian Nubank is Ant Financial Circa 2016 (1 of 2) (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Article)Ant Financial’s Big Money is in Asset-Light Credit Tech (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Daily Lesson / Update)How Ant Financial / Ant Group is Revolutionizing Finance (1 of 3) (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 47)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Payment PlatformsComplementary PlatformsFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:Nubank——–——I write and speak about digital competition and China / Asia’s leading tech companies.My book Moats and Marathons details how to measure competitive advantage in digital businesses.Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show

This week’s podcast is about Barriers to Entry, which is one of my 6 levels of competition.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 EditionMost of my favorite businesses have key operating assets that can’t be easily built, bought, or transferred. This turns out to be an interesting list. Think about:Reputation, loyalty, and love.Personal customer relationships.Intellectual property, creative activities, and rare technical abilities.Certain technologies, scientific capabilities, and trade secrets.Certain physical assets.Physical and digital networks.--——Related articles:SenseTime and an Introduction to AI Software Economics (1 of 3) (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Article)3 Lessons in China AI/ML from Artefact (Data Consultants and Digital Marketers)Adobe Inc. and the Power of Old School Software Economics (Asia Tech Strategy – Podcast 81)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:6 Levels of CompetitionBarriers to EntryCost Timing and Difficulty of Entry?From the Company Library, companies for this article are:n/a-———I write and speak about digital competition and China / Asia’s leading tech companies.My book Moats and Marathons details how to measure competitive advantage in digital businesses.Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show

This week’s podcast is about SenseTime, which is a leader in computer vision in China / Asia. It's a fascinating company for looking at the evolving business models of AI software. The two big questions are:What are the unit economics of large AI companies?What types of scale advantages and network effects do large AI companies?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 EditionI break the network effects question into three sub-questions:Do existing AI models get better the more they are used?How much? Does it flatline? Does it keep increasing?Do existing AI models make each other smarter and better?Do existing AI models and the data they collect make additional AI models smarter? Do they make them faster and cheaper to train?My working for conclusions are:This is mostly an integrated software bundle going for global scale.It's a learning platform with a new type of network effect.It is building an innovation platform, with another network effect.——---Related articles:SenseTime and an Introduction to AI Software Economics (1 of 3) (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Article)3 Lessons in China AI/ML from Artefact (Data Consultants and Digital Marketers)Adobe Inc. and the Power of Old School Software Economics (Asia Tech Strategy – Podcast 81)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Learning PlatformsIntegrated BundlesArtificial IntelligenceComputer VisionFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:SenseTime-------I write and speak about digital competition and China / Asia’s leading tech companies.This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show

This week’s podcast is about my discussion with Abel Deng, the CEO of Huawei Thailand. And about how the next generation of digital infrastructure is developing in SE Asia.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-———Related articles:Huawei Is Going to Beat Trump with Human Resources, Not Technology (Pt 1 of 3)Huawei’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is “Meritocracy Plus Partnership” at Scale in China Tech. (Pt 2 of 3)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Role of the StateEconomies of ScaleSMILE Marathon: Sustained InnovationFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:Huawei———-Support the show

This week’s podcast is about Snowflake and Confluent.  But the main topic is how to think about coordination, collaboration and standardization (CCS) platform business models. And the 4 types of these platforms. 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 EditionI’ve now started breaking this into 4 sub-types of CCS platforms. They are:Communication. Zoom, Slack, etc.Data Intelligence. Snowflake and Confluent.Team Projects. Manual and complicated projects like architecture, media creation, software development.Operational Automation.---——Related articles:Part 2: Snowflake is Building 3 Complementary Platforms with 4 Network Effects (Pt 2 of 3) (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Lesson / Update)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Hierarchies of ControlCoordination, Collaboration and Standardization (CCS) PlatformsEnterprise B2BFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:SnowflakeConfluent----------I write and speak about digital competition and China / Asia’s leading tech companies.I also run Tech Strategy, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show

This week’s podcast is about the external view and the importance of base rates. Berkshire-invested Kroger supermarkets is a good example of a company that can really be viewed externally.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 EditionCommon metrics for base rates:Sales growthGross profitability (gross profits / assets)Operating leverage. Change in operating profits relative to change in sales.Operating profit marginEarnings growthCFROIHere is the McKinsey book Beyond the Hockey Stick.———Related articles:What Ant Financial Tells Us About the Future of Square. Plus, Why The External View Is So Hard in Digital. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 61)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:External vs. Internal ViewRegression to the Mean (average / base rates, rate of regression)From the Company Library, companies for this article are:Kroger---------—-I write and speak about digital competition and China / Asia’s leading tech companies.I also run Tech Strategy, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show

This week’s podcast is about ANE Logistics, which is a compelling business model for digitizing and consolidating less than truckload logistics in China.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 EditionMy questions for ANE Logistics:Does a franchised logistics network with digital connectivity lower the barrier to entry?What happens when the volume is greater a network with the same number of nodes and linkages as another?What happens when the geographic density is increased? More nodes and / or more linkages.---------Related articles:Podcast 26: Is Baidu the New AT&T? The Basics of Physical vs. Virtual Networks.Will JD Logistics Become a New Type of Ecosystem? (Asia Tech Strategy – Podcast 71)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Networks vs. Platforms vs. Network EffectsFranchised NetworksLogisticsFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:ANE Logistics-———-I write and speak about digital competition and China / Asia’s leading tech companies.I also run Tech Strategy, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show

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——-Related articles:Brazilian Stone Co, Chinese Ant, and American Square Are All Building Complementary Payment Platforms (1 of 2) (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Lesson / Update)What Ant Financial Tells Us About Square’s Future. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Daily Update)Ant Financial Is 3 Platform Business Models Combined. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Daily Lesson / Update)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Payment PlatformsDigital-Physical HybridFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:Stone Company------Support the show

This week’s podcast is about how to assess specialty companies within enterprise software and services. And about Tuya, which an interesting example of a specialty B2B play.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 EditionHere are my 5 questions (thus far) for assessing the viability of a specialty ecommerce company.Is the company sufficiently differentiated in the user experience? Or did they just get there first?Can the company compete and/or differentiate in logistics or infrastructure without ongoing spending?Does the company have a strong competitive advantage in a circumscribed market?Is there a clear path to significant operational cash flow?Has the company avoided markets and situations that are attractive or strategic for the major ecommerce companies?Here are my 5 questions (thus far) for assessing the viability of a specialty enterprise company.Is the company sufficiently differentiated in the user experience? Or did they just get there first?Can the company compete and/or differentiate in sales / marketing or R&D without ongoing spending?Does the company have a strong competitive advantage in a circumscribed market?Is there a clear path to significant operational cash flow?Has the company avoided markets and situations that are attractive or strategic for the major enterprise companies? Pay attention to hierarchies of control.—----Related articles:Etsy and How to Predict the Winners in Specialty Ecommerce (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Lesson / Update)An Introduction to Tuya and Its Play for an IoT Ecosystem (Pt 1 of 2)(Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Lesson / Update)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Hierarchy of ControlEnterprise SpecialtyFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:Tuya----------—-I write and speak about digital competition and China / Asia’s leading tech companies.This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show