The Tech Strategy Podcast
233 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 14 ratingsA podcast by TechMoat Consulting on the strategies of the best digital companies in the US and China / Asia.
Tech Strategy offers:
-Deep dives into the strategies and business models of leading tech companies.
-Lessons on important digital concepts.
Lots more information available at Jefftowson.com and techmoatconsulting.com
To marketers, I do not have podcast guests.
This podcast is not investment advice. Me and any guests may get the numbers or information wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant. Investing is risky. Do your own research.
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Episodes
My 9 Investment Questions (75)
March 28, 2021 14:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MBThis 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/A From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are: 9 Questions Company Quality (Ques 1 and 2) Worst Case Scenario (Ques 9) From the Company Library, companies for this article a...
My 9 Investment Standard Questions (75)
March 28, 2021 14:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MBThis 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/A From the Concept Library, concepts for this article are: 9 Questions Company Quality (Ques 1 and 2) Worst Case Scenario (Ques 9) From the Company Library, companies for this article a...
Fiverr and the Classic Marketplace Platform Playbook (74)
March 21, 2021 16:00 - 53 minutes - 37.1 MBThis 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 effects Economies of scale Direct brand power Differentiated technology My competitive ...
Can Huawei's HarmonyOS Break Android's Monopoly? (73)
March 14, 2021 04:00 - 56 minutes - 39.2 MBThis 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 Platforms Payment Platforms Innovation and Audience-Builder Platforms Coordination, Collaboration and Standardization Platforms Learning Platforms ---------- Related podcas...
Can JD, Alibaba and New Retail Go International? My Interview With the CEO of JD Central Thailand. (71)
March 08, 2021 15:00 - 1 hour - 45.6 MBThis 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 Gam...
Can JD, Alibaba and New Retail Go International? My Interview With the CEO of JD Central Thailand. (72)
March 08, 2021 15:00 - 1 hour - 45.6 MBThis 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 Gam...
Will JD Logistics Become a New Type of Ecosystem? (71)
February 28, 2021 16:00 - 1 hour - 42.7 MBThis 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 Lib...
How Coupang Is Building a Competitive Fortress in South Korea (70)
February 21, 2021 16:00 - 49 minutes - 34 MBThis week’s podcast is about the Coupang of South Korea. An interesting case of local dominance (geographic) based initially on competitive advantages on the cost side. But potentially also on the demand side. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. The advantages for Coupang I mentioned are: Production Cost Advantage: Location or Transportation Cost Advantage Economies of Scale: Purchase Economies Economies of Scale: Distribution Network Density ...
Why Revenue Scale and Operating Leverage Are Different for Software vs. AI. (69)
February 14, 2021 11:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBThis 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: Revenue Operating profits Economic value creation (i.e., vs capital) Here are the books I mentioned: Platform Scale: How an emerging business model he...
Is Roblox Going to Be the Next TikTok? Plus the Kuaishou IPO. (68)
February 07, 2021 13:00 - 57 minutes - 39.6 MBThis 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...
The 3 Real Effects of Network Effects. Plus So-Young's Cool Marketplace. (67)
January 31, 2021 15:00 - 1 hour - 44 MBThis week’s podcast is about network effects. And I argue they are actually three effects at the same time. Plus some stuff about So-Young's marketplace for services. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. The 3-4 types of effects with network effects are: Competitive Advantage Barrier to Entry Other Competitive Advantages such as switching costs. Flywheel Here is the article I mentioned: 16 Ways to Measure Network Effects Related podcasts an...
Pay Attention to the Potential Value of WeChat Mini Programs. (66)
January 24, 2021 16:00 - 1 hour - 42.9 MBThis week’s podcast is about some of the bigger strategic initiatives at WeChat. Specifically mini programs, search, mini games and WeChat Work. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Related podcasts and articles are: WeChat, TikTok and Capturing the Consumer Mind in a Digital Age (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 36) WeChat Work and Why Enterprise Tools Will Be Very Different in Mobile-First China From the Concept Library, concepts for this art...
The Difference Between Competitive Advantages and 7 Powers (65)
January 17, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 42.2 MBThis week’s podcast is my third on the well-known 7 Powers framework by Hamilton Helmer. I go through the last 4 of his 7 powers. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. His fundamental equation of value is: Value = M0*g*s*m = market scale * power M0 is Market at time zero. g is growth. This is about targeting big and growing market opportunities. S is long-term persistent market share. How much of it you have M is long term persistent margins. (...
Economies of Scale and Switching Costs According to 7 Powers (64)
January 10, 2021 14:00 - 1 hour - 42.5 MBThis week’s podcast is more on the well-known 7 Powers framework by Hamilton Helmer. I go through three of his 7 powers. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. His fundamental equation of value is: Value = M0*g*s*m = market scale * power M0 is Market at time zero. g is growth. This is about targeting big and growing market opportunities. S is long-term persistent market share. How much of it you have M is long term persistent margins. (operation...
4 Problems with Michael Porter's 5 Forces (63)
January 03, 2021 16:00 - 57 minutes - 39.4 MBThis week’s podcast is on the well-known 5 Forces framework by Michael Porter. I go through some of its limitations and where I think it works best. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Michael Porter's 5 Forces: Bargaining power of suppliers Bargaining power of buyers Threat of Substitutes Barriers to entry / threat of potential entrants Degree of existing competitive rivalry Role of complements? My 4 problems with this are: It doesn’t wo...
4 Problems with Hamilton Helmer’s 7 Powers (62)
December 27, 2020 15:00 - 59 minutes - 41 MBThis week’s podcast is on the well-known 7 Powers framework by Hamilton Helmer. I go through some of its limitations and where I think it works best. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Hamilton Helmer's fundamental equation for value creation and capture Value = M0*g*s*m = market scale * power M0 is market size at time zero. This is about targeting big and growing market opportunities. S is long-term persistent market share. m is long term p...
What Ant Financial Tells Us About the Future of Square. Plus, Why The External View Is So Hard in Digital. (61)
December 20, 2020 14:00 - 53 minutes - 36.9 MBThis week’s podcast is on Ant Financial vs. Square. And has an introduction to the inside vs. outside view and base rates. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Key question: What will drive Square's growth? Metrics for base rates: Sales growth Gross profitability (gross profits / assets) Operating leverage. Change in operating profits relative to change in sales. Operating profit margin Earnings growth CFROI Related podcasts and articles: ...
Tesla vs. Nio - And Why First Mover Advantage in Tech Can Suck. (60)
December 13, 2020 14:00 - 1 hour - 41.9 MBTesla vs. Nio and why first mover advantage is not as awesome as everyone thinks. At least not in tech. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Advantages of first mover in tech can include: Bigger advantages: Temporary supply-demand imbalance Increasing returns to scale Switching costs Network effects Learning effects Smaller advantages: Brand loyalty Technological leadership Scarce assets in tech Disadvantages of first mover in tech can ...
Message to Followers and Subscribers About the Course Going Forward
December 07, 2020 06:00 - 4 minutes - 3.44 MBHi everyone, After months of discussion with subscribers, I'm splitting the course into two more focused services. One service for tech investors. One service for those more interested in executive education in digital strategy. It turns out the audience for this course really is somewhat split between two sets of interests. By creating more focused services for each, it should improve the course for everyone substantially. So going forward: The subscription newsletter and emails will...
Airbnb Is Going to Get Crushed in Asia. Rethink Your Valuation. (59)
December 06, 2020 16:00 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBThis week’s podcast is on Airbnb and what I think people are getting wrong about its business model and future in Asia. Which has some impact on how you would value it going forward. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. The mentioned presentation by NYU Professor Damodaran is here. The mentioned factors for Airbnb were: Market size and / or growth Competitive dynamics and strengths Industry and unit economics Related podcasts and articles: M...
Introduction to Innovation, Elon and Android's Dominant Design. (58)
November 29, 2020 13:00 - 53 minutes - 36.9 MBThis week’s podcast is on innovation, which often is discussed in fuzzy terms. I present some of the better language used to discuss this topic. And I present some frameworks from McKinsey and Professor Melissa Schilling (NYU). You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. The slides mentioned are below. Related podcasts and articles: Forget the “Alibaba Ecosystem”. It’s About Collaboration-Based Industries and Business Models. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class –...
Introduction to Innovation, Elon Musk and Android's Dominant Design. (58)
November 29, 2020 13:00 - 53 minutes - 36.9 MBThis week’s podcast is on innovation, which often is discussed in fuzzy terms. I present some of the better language used to discuss this topic. And I present some frameworks from McKinsey and Professor Melissa Schilling (NYU). You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. The slides mentioned are below. Related podcasts and articles: Forget the “Alibaba Ecosystem”. It’s About Collaboration-Based Industries and Business Models. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class –...
Alibaba, Android and The Emerging Art of Ecosystem Management. (57)
November 23, 2020 15:00 - 1 hour - 42.2 MBThis week’s podcast is more about the fuzzy idea of ecosystems, which I call the new collaboration-based business business models. We have clear frameworks for pipelines and platforms. And linked business models and complementary platforms. I summarize some of the thinking by Peter Williamson, Michael Jacobides and BCG's article The Emerging Art of Ecosystem Management. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Related podcasts and articles: What is A...
Forget the "Alibaba Ecosystem". It's About Collaboration-Based Industries and Business Models. (56)
November 16, 2020 15:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBCorrection: I had Michael Jacobides' name incorrect throughout this episode. My apologies. Podcasting while sick may not have been my best idea. This week's podcast is about starting to take apart the fuzzy idea of ecosystems. We have clear frameworks for pipelines and platforms. And linkedin business models and complemntary platforms. But the ecosystem term is better thought of as collaboration-based industries and business models. I summarize some of the thinking by Peter Williamson, Mich...
How Digital Creates and Destroys Competitive Advantage. Digital Economics II. (55)
November 08, 2020 15:00 - 1 hour - 42.5 MBThis podcast is more about the strange but important economics of digital. And on how digital economics can impact well-established competitive advantages like economies of scale. This is a continuation of Podcast 53. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Related podcasts and articles: Review: The Sexy But Dangerous Economics of Digital (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 15) Digital Economics II: Why Pricing Is Getting Both Complicated and Critica...
5 Trends That Will Power Digital China / Asia for the Next Decade (54)
November 01, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 43.3 MBThese are my predictions for the biggest trends in digital China / Asia for 2020-2030. They are all underway already. And most of them are unique to China / Asia - so I don't think we will see them elsewhere. My prediction is: In 2020 – 2030, China / Asia will become the world's largest and most innovative digital ecosystem - with unmatched infrastructure and capabilities. And these the 5 trends I am watching for: China / Asia will become the smart devices leader as innovation in digit...
Digital Economics II: Why Pricing Is Getting Really Complicated and Critical. (53)
October 26, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 45.3 MBThis podcast is more about the strange but important economics of digital. And on pricing, in particular. It is becoming increasingly complicated with bundling, switching costs and platform business models. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Related podcasts and articles: Review: The Sexy But Dangerous Economics of Digital (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 15) This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on: #29: Digital Economics II...
Digital Economics II: Why Pricing Is Getting Both Complicated and Critical. (53)
October 26, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 45.3 MBThis podcast is more about the strange but important economics of digital. And on pricing, in particular. It is becoming increasingly complicated with bundling, switching costs and platform business models. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Related podcasts and articles: Review: The Sexy But Dangerous Economics of Digital (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 15) This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on: #29: Digital Economics II...
Why the Bytedance "Attention Factory" Is a Threat to Facebook (52)
October 19, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 43 MBMatthew Brennan has published: Attention Factory: The Story of TikTok and China's ByteDance \ It's a great read, with lots of interesting ideas about how to fight for attention. And how to manage information flows in a world overflowing with content and ideas. The slides mentioned are below and here. Related podcasts and articles: What Is the Secret of TikTok / Douyin’s Success? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 20) This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on: #32: Adapta...
The Fight Between Alibaba Cloud, AWS and Friedrich Hayek (51)
October 12, 2020 01:00 - 49 minutes - 33.8 MBAt Alibaba’s Investor Day, CEO Daniel Zhang outlined 11 growth stratgies. Five were under Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun). These are the early days of cloud and, likely, a new paradigm for computing and connectivity. It's chaotic and unclear. But Alibaba is very well positioned to win big. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. The mentioned slides are below. Related podcasts and articles: What is Alibaba’s Best Growth Strategy? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – P...
What is Alibaba's Best Growth Strategy? (50)
October 04, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 44.3 MBAt Alibaba's Investor Day, CEO Daniel Zhang outlined 11 growth strategies. Five were under Domestic Consumption. The question for this class is which is the most effective of these? Which is most likely to succeed and move the needle? You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. The choices are: “To continue growing our digital economy user base” “To expand consumption categories and consumer wallet share in our digital economy”. “To develop new supply...
Ant Financial and the Sustained Innovation Trap of Network Effects (3 of 3) (49)
September 27, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 41.9 MBThis is Part 3 in a three part series about Ant Group / Ant Financial. In this part, I talk about how sustained innovation is the primary strategy for maintaining their competitive advantages. Part 1 is How Ant Financial / Ant Group is Revolutionizing Finance (1 of 3) (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 47). Part 2 is Adaptation, Innovation and Resilience at Alibaba. A Discussion with BCG’s Martin Reeves. (2 of 3) (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 48) You can listen to this podcast here or ...
Adaptation, Innovation and Resilience at Alibaba. A Discussion with BCG's Martin Reeves. (2 of 3) (48)
September 20, 2020 13:00 - 52 minutes - 36.2 MBThis is Part 2 in a three part series about Alibaba and Ant Group. The focus was on Alibaba's ability to continually adapt to new markets, consumer behaviors, technologies and opportunities. The idea of adaptability and innovation are increasingly discussed as key competitive abilities. Part 1 is here. To investigate that, I spoke with Martin Reeves, who is Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute. And has long written about adaptability and rate of learning as critical parts of strategy. He...
How Ant Financial / Ant Group is Revolutionizing Finance (1 of 3) (47)
September 13, 2020 14:00 - 1 hour - 47.3 MBThis is Part 1 in a three part series about Ant Group. And my basic argument is Ant is well positioned to disrupt and potentially revolutionize financial services. You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Related podcasts and articles: How Big Will Ant Financial / Alipay Become? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 28) 3 Ways AI Is Transforming Fashion: My Interview with JD Vice President of Cloud & AI (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 33) Huawei, Luc...
What is the Secret of Pinduoduo’s Success? (2 of 2) (46)
September 07, 2020 14:00 - 52 minutes - 36.1 MBThis is Part 2 about Pinduoduo and the idea of interactive / engagement-driven ecommerce. In Part 1, I discussed a recent whitepaper with its authors Elliott Zaagman (co-host the China Tech Investor podcast and a research and communications professional focused on China) and Matthew Brennan (Managing Director of the China Channel.) Their whitepaper on Pinduoduo and interactive commerce is available at China Channel or can be downloaded directly here (Interactive Ecommerce Whitepaper 2020....
What is the Secret of Pinduoduo’s Success? With Matthew Brennan and Elliott Zaagman. (1 of 2) (45)
August 30, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 41.7 MBThis is Part 1 about Pinduoduo and the idea of interactive / engagement-driven ecommerce. Our guests for this podcast were Matthew Brennan and Elliott Zaagman. Elliott Zaagman is co-host the China Tech Investor podcast and a research and communications professional focused on China. Matthew Brennan is Managing Director of the China Channel. We discuss their whitepaper on Pinduoduo and interactive commerce, which is available at China Channel. The 5 choices for explaining Pinduoduo’s succ...
Can Xiaomi or Meitu Win as Platforms / Ecosystems? (2 of 2) (44)
August 23, 2020 15:00 - 1 hour - 47.1 MBThis is part 2 about Xiaomi, Meitu and 7 reasons why platforms / ecosystems succeed or fail. Part 1 is here. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. 7 reasons why ecosystems (and platforms) fail (by BCG): Insufficient problem to solve Wrong ecosystem configuration Wrong governance choices Inadequate monetization Weak launch strategy Weak defensibility Bad execution Cited in this talk: Why Do Most Business Ecosystems Fail (BCG) Related podcasts and articles...
Xiaomi, Meitu and Why Platforms Fail (1 of 2) (43)
August 17, 2020 06:00 - 1 hour - 45.7 MBIn this class, I talk about why platforms fail and do an introduction to ecosystems vs. platforms. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Cited in this talk: Why Do Most Business Ecosystems Fail (BCG) Related podcasts and articles: How Did Alibaba Beat Everyone? Products vs. Digital Platforms. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 4) Review: Why Digital Platforms Are the Super Predators of Business (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 16) This is part of Learning Goa...
Tencent Buys Sogou. Plus More Digital and Information Economics (42)
August 10, 2020 12:00 - 57 minutes - 39.8 MBIn this class, I talk Tencent's recent purchase of Sogou. And go through more digital and information economics. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on: #29: Digital and Information Economics II Related podcasts and articles: Review: The Sexy But Dangerous Economics of Digital (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 15) Should Vipshop Build a Logistics Network Like JD? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 7) Conc...
3 Ways Network Effects Suck (41)
August 03, 2020 13:00 - 53 minutes - 37.1 MBIn this class, I talk about networks. And some of their strengths and weaknesses. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on: #28: Network Effects Concepts for this class: Networks Effects NE: Critical Mass and Chicken-and-Egg NE: Interaction Failure at Scale NE: Leaky Bucket and Multihoming ———- I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and transformation. I am the ...
Why Lazada vs. Shopee Is Faster Horse vs. Better Jockey (40)
July 26, 2020 23:00 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MBIn this class, I talk how to fairly basic platform business models (Shopee, Lazada) compete. As the capabilities and strategies are similar this is mostly about operational performance and management over time. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. This is part of Learning Goals: Level 6, with a focus on: #23: SMILE Operational Marathon Concepts for this class: Multihoming Management Track Record and Incentives Companies for this class: Lazada Shopee ———- ...
What TikTok Can Learn From Huawei About the Role of the State (39)
July 19, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 44.2 MBIn this class, I talk about the role of the state as a key factor in certain industries and countries. This tends to be a fuzzy, uncomfortable aspect when it comes to analysis. But it is fairly common for government to act as both policeman and player. And it can often be easy to predict. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on: #27: The Role of the State Concepts for this class: Role of the State Mismatch...
Will Farfetch or Secoo Win in Luxury Ecommerce in China? (38)
July 13, 2020 07:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MBIn this class, I talk about the difficulty of moving luxury into ecommerce. And how Chinese consumers will likely determine who finally cracks this problem. Secoo and Farfetch are two companies that are on this frontier right now. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Question: Will Farfetch or Secoo win in luxury ecommerce in China? Three factors to consider: What do consumers care about most? What do large luxury brands care about most? What do small luxury b...
Companies Can Have Digital Superpowers: Lazada vs. Grab. Luckin vs. Hellobike. (37)
July 05, 2020 15:00 - 1 hour - 43.2 MBIn this class, we go through 6 digital superpowers, which is a simple high-level checklist for when digital tools can significantly change the competitive dynamics of a business. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Which of the 6 Digital Superpowers does the company have? If any. Dramatically transform the user experience Enable a platform business model Network effects Other competitive advantage Virality Scalable Related podcasts and articles: How Did ...
WeChat, TikTok and Capturing the Consumer Mind in a Digital Age (36)
June 28, 2020 07:00 - 54 minutes - 37.7 MBIn this class, I talk about the share of the consumer mind as a revenue competitive advantage. And how companies like WeChat and TikTok are changing this with digital tools. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Related podcasts and articles: Why Didi Needs Driver Switching Costs. Uber Too. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 23) This is part of Learning Goals: Level 4-5, with a focus on: #24: Share of the Consumer Mind in a Digital Age Concepts for this class: ...
How Should Education Companies Like New Oriental Respond to AI Digital Natives Like LAIX? (35)
June 22, 2020 12:00 - 59 minutes - 40.7 MBIn this class, I go into the how digital native education companies like LAIX are challenging traditional companies like New Oriental. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Which of the 6 Digital Superpowers does LAIX have? If any. Dramatically transform the user experience Enable a platform business model Network effects Other competitive advantage Virality Scalable Related podcasts and articles: Review: The Sexy But Dangerous Economics of Digital (Jeff’s...
Huawei, Luckin and the SMILE Marathon (34)
June 14, 2020 13:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBIn this class, I go into the increasing dimensions of operational marathons. I call these the SMILE marathon. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. SMILE Marathons. Competing every day on which dimensions? Scale, Scope, Efficiency and Effectiveness Machine Learning / AI Factories and Zero-Human Operations Innovation Rate of Learning Ecosystem Orchestration and Management Related podcasts and articles: What Should Starbucks China Have Done About Luckin Coffe...
Huawei, Luckin and the SMILE Operational Marathon (34)
June 14, 2020 13:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBIn this class, I go into the increasing dimensions of operational marathons. I call these the SMILE marathon. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. SMILE Operational Marathons. Competing every day on which dimensions? Scale, Efficiency and Effectiveness Machine Learning / AI Factories and Zero-Human Operations Innovation Rate of Learning Ecosystem Management and Shaping Related podcasts and articles: What Should Starbucks China Have Done About Luckin Coffee...
3 Ways AI Is Transforming Fashion: My Interview with JD Vice President of Cloud & AI (33)
June 08, 2020 06:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MBIn this class, I talk about ways AI and cheap prediction are being used in fashion and apparel. From my interview with Dr. Tao Mei, Vice President of Cloud & AI at JD.com. You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya. Related podcasts and articles: How Big Will Ant Financial / Alipay Become? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 28) Products with Personalities? My Interview with JD About Conversational AI (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 31) This is part of Learning Goals...
Grab vs. GoJek vs. Lazada: Who Will Win in Services in SE Asia? (32)
June 01, 2020 03:00 - 1 hour - 53.2 MBIn this class, I go through some of the basics of Grab, GoJek and Lazada. And the different approaches for capturing local services in SE Asia. You can listen here or at my webpage. Which are the most important 1-2 factors for the competition in SE Asia services? Consumer engagement and experience. Capturing a share of the consumer mind. Merchant engagement and experience. Being strong with service providers. Platform business models and their advantages (subsidized pricing, growing int...