The Tech Strategy Podcast

This week’s podcast is about how to think tactics that generate short-term growth and results. And we see these coming out of China all the time. In particular, I talk about how Pop Mart used blind boxes. How Joy Spreader and Ruhnn Holding used influencer marketing. And how everyone is using community group buying.You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.Here is the CBS talk with Li Lu.Three questions for when you are thinking about tactics resulting in high-growth:Will this short-term tactic or growth hack lose strength? When?Is it a required new capability?Is it a structural advantage?—–-----Related podcasts and articles are:Joy Spreader and How to Think About KOL / Influencer Marketing (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Community Group BuyingInfluencers and KOLsVirality and Word of MouthChinese Digital Consumer Network (CDCN)From the Company Library, companies for this article are:Joy SpreaderPop Mart----------I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.I also run Asia 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 Baidu and its key strategic questions:Can it thrive as a stand-alone search engine? Against competitors such as Tencent and ByteDance.What is its best growth opportunity? I think cloud.Did it need to go into content? How far?Can it compete in the attention market? Search plus feed.You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.The mentioned slides are here. –-----Related podcasts and articles are:Baidu’s Search Engine Explained in 3 Slides (pt 1 of 3) (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)Baidu is Struggling in Content Creation, Push Feeds and the Attention Market (Pt 2 of 3) (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Search EnginesLearning PlatformsStandardization and Interconnection Network EffectsFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:Baidu——–I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.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 investment checklist. Which is really just 9 questions. Shown below.You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.Charlie Munger’s Speech on the Psychology of Human Misjudgment. Located here.———–Related podcasts and articles are:N/AFrom the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:9 QuestionsCompany Quality (Ques 1 and 2)Worst Case Scenario (Ques 9)From the Company Library, companies for this article are:Warren Buffett / Berkshire Hathaway------------I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.I also run Asia 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 Fiverr and their classic approach to building a marketplace platform (for freelance services). I don't go into it too much but I thought it was a good example of a common playbook for venture capital-backed early stage companies.You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.Andreesen Horowitz listed 4 types of competitive advantages:Network effectsEconomies of scaleDirect brand powerDifferentiated technologyMy competitive pyramid is here.----------Related podcasts and articles are:N/AFrom the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Platforms: MarketplaceNetwork EffectsCompetitive Advantage: Differentiated Technology?From the Company Library, companies for this article are:Fiverr——-I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.I also run Asia 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 Huawei’s big operating system initiative. It’s the first serious challenge to Android’s global dominance. And how to break-in with a new ecosystem is a fascinating question.You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.Types of platforms:Marketplace PlatformsPayment PlatformsInnovation and Audience-Builder PlatformsCoordination, Collaboration and Standardization PlatformsLearning Platforms----------Related podcasts and articles are:Alibaba, Android and The Emerging Art of Ecosystem Management. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 57)Hotpot and Hiking with Huawei Chairman Guo Ping (pt 1 of 2)Huawei Is Going to Beat Trump with Human Resources, Not Technology (Pt 1 of 3)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Ecosystems vs. PlatformsPlatforms: InnovationFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:HuaweiAndroid———-—-I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.I also run Asia 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 JD Central in Thailand. I had an interesting visit and interviewed the CEO. And it raises a bigger point of whether China's ecommerce giants can or will go international?You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.The McKinsey & Co article I mentioned is here.Related podcasts and articles are:My Interview with JD Central Thailand CEO Vincent Yang (1 of 2) (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)JD Central Plays the Long Game in Thailand and SE Asian Ecommerce (2 of 2)(Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)Hold On To Your Hat. Alibaba.com is Building a Massive New E-Commerce Platform (Pt 1 of 2)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:N/AFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:JDJD Central ThailandAlibaba———-I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.I also run Asia 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 JD Logistics. It's an interesting case of a capability becoming a service business. And maybe a new type of ecosystem.You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.Related podcasts and articles are:Introduction to Innovation, Elon Musk and Android’s Dominant Design. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 58)Alibaba, Android and The Emerging Art of Ecosystem Management. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 57)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Ecosystems vs. Digital PlatformsSMILE Marathon: Ecosystem Orchestration and ManagementFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:JD LogisticsAT&TAndroid———-I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.I also run Asia 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

Discover how Coupang dominates the South Korean market through production cost advantages, technology, and distribution network density. Learn about their strategic approach to superior customer experiences and their aim to build a competitive fortress in retail. Explore the potential expansion of e-commerce businesses into new digital services and partnerships with other players.

This week’s podcast is about revenue scale and operating leverage in traditional companies vs. software vs. AI. And these things can be really different. Especially software vs. AI.You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.Here are the three factors I mentioned that interact for operating leverage:RevenueOperating profitsEconomic value creation (i.e., vs capital)Here are the books I mentioned:Platform Scale: How an emerging business model helps startups build large empires with minimum investment Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy and How to Make Them Work for You: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy―and How to Make Them Work for You Kindle Edition Related podcasts and articles are:N/AFrom the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Valuation (Question 3): Operating LeverageValuation (Question 3): Revenue Scale and GrowthSMILE Marathon: AI/ MLFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:N/AThis is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on:34: 9 Questions--------I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.I also run Asia 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 Roblox and the question of whether this media type will really take off. And I argue this is an interesting evolution of the audience-builder platform.You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.Here is the article I mentioned:ByteDance vs. Kuaishou: Innovator vs. Fast Follower Strategies for the China Attention Market (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)Related podcasts and articles are:7 Reasons Digital Platforms Fail (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Daily Lesson / Update)From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are:Platforms: Audience-BuildersFrom the Company Library, companies for this article are:RobloxKuaishouThis is part of Learning Goals: Level 4, with a focus on:12: Basics of Tiktok / Douyin and Audience-Builder Platforms------------I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.I also run Asia 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