Infrastructure plays and technology adoption are based on relative rather than absolute needs. When considering new infrastructure like electricity grids or transportation services, starting with nonconsumption in mind can lead to more efficient and effective solutions. By targeting areas with no existing infrastructure or services, such as remote regions or populations without cars, companies can provide significantly better solutions than what is currently available, driving rapid adoption and disruption. This strategy of going after nonconsumption allows for providing solutions that are much more appealing compared to the existing alternatives, which is why many disruptive innovations find success at the low end of the market.
Ben and James discuss how leverage shifts in a value chain, why WeChat is so powerful in China, and why that is a problem for Apple.
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Links
- Ben Thompson: Apple’s China Problem — Stratechery
- Ben Thompson: Messaging: Mobile’s Killer App — Stratechery
- Ben Thompson: Slack and the State of Technology at the End of 2015 — Stratechery
- Connie Chan: When One App Rules Them All: The Case of WeChat and Mobile in China — a16z
- Ben Thompson: Peak Google — Stratechery
- Ben Thompson: Beyond Disruption — Stratechery
- James Allworth: The Blessing of Failure — Medium
- Ben Thompson: The State of Consumer Technology at the End of 2014 — Stratechery
- Ben Thompson: Why Doesn’t Apple Enable Sustainable Businesses on the App Store? — Stratechery
Hosts
Podcast Information