WeChat and the 'Mini Program'
WeChat's mini programs aren't just a product feature. They're a direct attack on the App Store model and a blueprint for how a chat app becomes an operating system. Apple should be paying attention.
Jeremy Liu
journalism
Monetising attention: revisiting a la carte payments in journalism
The ad model doesn't just fail to reward good journalism. It actively incentivises bad journalism. A look at micropayments, clickbait economics, and why online publishing still hasn't figured out how to make quality pay.
artificial intelligence
Self-driving cars and the machine learning conundrum
Car manufacturers watched what Windows did to PC makers and want no part of it. A look at machine learning, platform strategy, and why self-driving cars are as much a power struggle as a technical one.
business models
The strategy of compatibility
Disruption doesn't always come from below. Sometimes it comes from inside. A look at how cross-platform services like Facebook and Snapchat exploit the platforms that host them, and why owning an ecosystem is no longer the only path to winning.
AI
AI, interaction and business models
The graphical user interface is as good as it's ever going to get. So what comes next? A look at conversational AI, the shift from GUI to CUI, and why the app store model has more to fear from AI than any competitor.
tesla
Why Tesla won’t come close to the iPhone
Tesla is impressive, but impressive isn't the same as transformative. A look at why making a better car isn't the same as changing what a car means, and what actually separates real disruption from very good product design.
YouTube
Hollywood look out, Silicon Valley is coming
YouTube spent a decade hosting cat videos. Now it wants to make the next Game of Thrones, and it might actually pull it off. A look at why Silicon Valley is coming for Hollywood, and why the content industry has nobody to blame but itself.
meme
The commodification of memes
Popular culture has always had economic value ascribed to it. Long after iconic films, movie characters and musicians have surpassed their prime, merchandise keeps them alive — locked and stored deep within the consumer consciousness. Pop culture doesn’t play by the rules, and the reason why it resonates with people
journalism
The kind of journalism we pay for
The internet didn't just disrupt journalism's business model. It revealed that the business model was wrong the whole time. A look at why news has no economic right to be profitable, and what publishers should be selling instead.
marketing
Rebranding the American rust belt
Every city wants to rebrand itself as a cultural hub with great coffee and bike lanes. The Rust Belt's best shot is to be exactly the opposite. A look at place marketing, civic identity, and why authenticity beats aspiration.
Tech
The music streaming economy isn't working
Music streaming isn't broken because of Spotify. It's broken because record labels are extracting 45 cents of every dollar for a job the internet already does for free. A look at why the labels' power has well and truly outlasted their usefulness.