What the bicycle for the mind really means
The personal computer made us faster without making us passengers. The question is whether AI will do the same, or whether the sparkly prompt box is just too convenient to resist.
Latest
AI and the curious bell curve of voice computing
Voice AI is impressive. But are we just engineering our way around problems databases solved decades ago? A breakdown of conversational computing, general AI, and the tech industry's obsession with over-solving.
Moore, Gilder, and the fading logic of constraint
Moore's Law told us technology gets cheaper. Gilder told us networks grow forever. So what happens to orthodox economics when scarcity stops being the point? A look at digital networks, network effects, and why consumer attention is the only constraint left.
Blockchain, decentralisation, and the 'theory of the firm'
Firms exist because transacting with strangers is expensive. Blockchain makes it nearly free. A look at transaction cost theory, decentralisation, and why intermediaries should be paying very close attention.
Understanding Amazon's strategic dominance
What Amazon did to books, it's doing to everything. A look at aggregation theory, ecommerce disruption, and which retailers actually have a shot at surviving it.
Newness, timing, and market entry strategy
Being late to market isn't the same as losing. A look at Apple's product strategy, market entry timing, and why framing a new product around an existing need beats being first almost every time.
The state of the wrist
Swatch wants to build a smartwatch OS. But the real question isn't whether they can compete with Apple — it's whether the wrist is even the right place for wearable tech anymore.
Thoughts on the future of IoT, and where AI and AR fit
Smartphone innovation has plateaued. So what comes next? A look at IoT, AI, and the race to own the platform at the centre of our connected world.
Monopoly economy: the other side of network effects
Network effects don't just reward the biggest player. They actively punish everyone else. A look at why the internet is structurally designed to produce monopolies, and whether that's actually such a bad thing.
Snapchat thoughts: redefining social currency, photos, and the camera
Snapchat didn't just change how we share photos. It changed what a photo is for. A look at mobile-native design, social currency, and why the camera is a much bigger deal than anyone in social media is admitting.
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.
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.
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.