Business
The Double Bind Theory—Or Why Sensationalism (Unfortunately) Works. A really great read on why there is no such thing as bad publicity or virality.
The inside story of Dave Clark’s tumultuous last days at Flexport: Standoffs, politics, and spin. A nasty divorce between a founder and his hand-picked successor. Reading this article which is somewhat confirmed by Dave Clark himself, I think that the whole saga won’t be kind to Ryan Petersen and Flexport. The revelations that Clark made as well as the PR hit will affect Flexport’s ability to acquire/retain talent as well as file to go public.
Spotify Makes Audiobooks Free to Paid Subscribers. Adding values to an existing product to retain customers is not new. This is definitely a net add for consumers, but will it be a net add for Spotify? How many new customers will subscribe because of this new feature? How many existing customers will listen to the free audiobooks? How many who planned to unsubscribe will stay on because of this? Additionally, how will this move translate into gross and operating margin for Spotify? On face value, gross margin will take a hit because the music streaming service have to pay publishers for content. What they hope to achieve is less marketing spend and more high-margin ads dollars.
Satya Nadella tells a court that Bing is worse than Google — and Apple could fix it. Satya Nadella claimed that he and Microsoft would make Google “dance” a few months ago. As it turned out, it’s expensive and challenging to “dance” with Google. Joking aside, even though defaults wield an enormous advantage, there are examples showing that being a default option is not enough. For instance, I never use Edge or Microsoft Explorer as a default. NEVER! I communicate with family and friends more on Whatsapp than on iMessage, even though the latter is a defaul on iOS devices. And I bet many users still download Google Maps on Apple devices instead of using Apple Maps. Doing a better job than competition doesn’t automatically equate to being a monopolist.
How China’s BYD Became Tesla’s Biggest Threat. A fascinating story on BYD. One of my favorite excerpts is this: “Though her English was still rudimentary, Wang sent her to Europe and the U.S. to scout for mobile phone companies that might be interested in Chinese batteries that were cheaper than those from the leading Japanese suppliers. Li made clear BYD would work to meet customers’ pricing and timeline demands. One customer joked with people at BYD that the first English phrase Li learned must have been, “We can do that,” a BYD executive said.”
NBA can shift the balance of power in media with its next rights deal. A big deal to watch. NBA is popular domestically and internationally. Any media partner that secures this 10-year right will have an enormous opportunity to attract eyeballs. But it’s not going to be cheap. The likes of ESPN, Amazon, Netflix and Apple all have global reach. Netflix looks to be a long shot. Amazon impressed the league after its business with the NFL. Apple has the means to compete, but I can understand why others are concerned the tech giant is not the most cooperative and easy partner to work with.
Other stuff I find interesting
Qurt: A Kazakh “cheese of resilience”. “While Kazakhstan’s nomadic way of life mostly dissipated after it joined the Soviet Union in 1920, its ancestral recipes remain. Today, along with kumys (a cold fermented dairy drink), qurt is eaten either as a snack or dissolved in water or broth, adding a rich and creamy sourness to drinks, soups and stews. Its milk protein content of choline and methionine along with calcium makes the nutritious snack popular among young children and the elderly. Some people shave qurt over salads and pastas as a cheaper, locally sourced alternative to parmesan, and parents give sweet, dried-fruit versions to their kids instead of candy. The demand for qurt spikes around 21-23 March, when people celebrate Nauryz (spring New Year)“
The Cash Machine Is Blue And Green. A fascinating read on the history of ATM. I did not know that the machine gained widespread adoption after a blizzard in New York.
China Is Suffering a Brain Drain. The U.S. Isn’t Exploiting It. What is happening in China is driving talented, driven young professionals away. I totally get where they are coming from. I have been away from my country for more than 7 years and don’t plan to come back permanently any time soon. What’s disappointing to see is that these talents don’t choose to come to the US. If I worked in the government, this is something that I’d look at seriously. The US attracts peopple with opportunities and high-paying jobs. We need to make immigration easier. Otherwise, this will not be an isolated incident.
How a Squiggly Line on a Map Got ‘Barbie’ Banned in Vietnam. In business, it pays to have scale. Because China is home to more than 1.3 billion people, the country has the scale to dictate terms with foreign businesses. That’s why movie producers go to great length to appease the Chinese government, even at the expense of a decent market like Vietnam. Can’t say I blame businesses that look out for themselves. You do what you gotta do.
Stats
14% of all transactions made in 2022 were with cash or checks
Microsoft has a 81% market share in the authorship and email market
Minh Quang Duong 
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