What I wrote last week
Interchange and what influences it
Business
($) What Do Chinese Consumers Want? Walmart Can’t Figure It Out. Almost 30 years in the country and decades of experience in this industry, Walmart seems to lose grip in China. The stores aren’t an appeal that they once were. Walmart doesn’t seem to be able to offer what consumers want. Competitors are fierce. For good measure, the tension between America and China shows no signs of abating. Trouble is awaiting the largest retailer in the world in China.
Elon Musk’s regulatory woes mount as U.S. moves closer to recalling Tesla’s self-driving software. I admire Tesla, Musk and everything they have achieved. But I think it’s dangerous to create marketing materials touting full self-driving abilities when the vehicles are nowhere near that capabilities.
($) FanDuel CEO Amy Howe Wants to Help the Sports-Betting Business Grow Up. An interesting read into the market leader of sports betting. TIL, FanDuel had 70% of all sports betting platforms’ revenue generated in the state of Michigan in 2022 through April. Typically, it’s only about 5% of the amount wagered.
Maybe Bob Chapek Was Right. The tumult at Disney continues with the recent departure of Rice, a senior executive. Outsiders may not know the full story of what went down. Perhaps, Bob Chapek was right. Perhaps, it was just another example of how difficult life at the top is for him. Nonetheless, it really doesn’t matter how fair or unfair the criticisms on him are. The fact is that he is the CEO and the stock went down by almost 50%. Right or wrong, it’s on him and his record. I look forward to seeing whether they will adjust their subscriber target in the long run now that they no longer have the rights to the cricket league in India. Some said that Disney might lose 20 million subscribers in India. Others argue that it’s a blessing in disguise as a subscriber pays like 70 cents over there. Hence, losing a bunch of low-paying subscribers may boost ARPU and profitability, a premium in this market. The market’s reaction to a new target, if any, may influence Chapek’s tenure a lot.
($) Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s First Year on the Job: Undoing Bezos-Led Overexpansion. A fascinating piece on Amazon that is unquestionably favorable to Andy Jassy and much less so to Jeff Bezos. I find it interesting that Amazon seems to shift the blame from Jassy onto Bezos for recent trouble with excessive fulfillment capacity. The founder and former CEO did make the decision to expand the capacity, but this sort of public admission while he is still the Executive Chairman definitely raised eyebrows.
($) One Grocer Wanted to Give Up Plastic. It Got Rotting Bananas. “When one of the best-known supermarket chains in the U.K. decided to remove plastic from its products, it hadn’t anticipated a spike in shoplifting. The zero-plastic drive also produced a series of unintended consequences that demonstrate how difficult it is for any company to shed plastic packaging entirely. When Iceland wrapped bananas in paper bands instead of plastic bags, the fruit rotted more quickly or snapped off. When it packed bread in opaque paper bags, sales fell as shoppers balked at buying something they couldn’t see. When it punched holes in paper bags filled with potatoes to make the contents more visible, the bags ripped. Bacon that isn’t wrapped in plastic quickly discolors, salad leaves wilt and unwrapped cucumbers rot more quickly.“
Other stuff I find interesting
($) Biden Administration to Pursue Rule Requiring Less Nicotine in U.S. Cigarettes. FDA estimates that tobacco use costs the country $300 billion in direct healthcare expenses and lost productivity. A study published on the New England Journal of Medicine estimates that lower nicotine level will lead to 5 million additional adult smokers to quit smoking. If mandating a lower nicotine level in cigarettes results in fewer smokers and lower economic damages, FDA should press ahead and exercise their authority, knowing that the tobacco industry will take legal actions to protect their own interests
Downtown S.F. on the brink: It’s worse than it looks. The article goes into why remote work drives folks away from San Francisco and the downstream effects that such a migration can have on the city. I spent a few days in San Francisco last month. At no time did I ever feel safe due to the homeless folks on the streets. My team and I went around a bit by Uber and agreed that some areas were just too sketchy to live. Drivers there were just unbelievable. We had to report one Lyft driver because he literally scared us to death with his reckless driving. The living expense is so high there. One croissant and a small cup of coffee cost me $12, easily double what I’d pay in Omaha. It’s no wonder that white-collar workers moved away whenever they had a chance. When the engine that generates your city’s economy is leaving, it’s a serious challenge that demands different thinking.
Exclusive: inside Apple’s iOS 16 remake of the iPhone’s iconic Lock Screen. One thing you’ll notice from this piece is that the road to this Lock Screen feature started a while ago with work on its neural engine, chip and personalization effort on the Home Screen in iOS14. That’s typical of Apple. Have a product roadmap, put the pieces together and release only the things that work.
Opening a Restaurant in Boston Takes 92 Steps, 22 Forms, 17 Office Visits, and $5,554 in 12 Fees. Why? “The American Dream is besaddled by byzantine regulations. As the report shows, for example, opening a restaurant in Boston is a 92-step process. In Detroit, it’s 77 steps. In Atlanta, it’s 76. The report goes into great detail. That 92-step process to open a restaurant in Boston requires that 22 forms be completed, 17 in-person visits be made to government offices, 12 fees be paid, and nine government agencies be involved, at a total cost in government fees of $5,554. Opening a restaurant in San Francisco requires that 17 government fees be paid at a total cost of $22,648.” Indeed, why?
Stats
There were 31 million cigarette smokers in the US in 2020
1.5 billion users watch YouTube’s TikTok clone every month
14% of the U.S. population lives within rural communities
Minh Quang Duong 