The Tech Strategy Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Airbnb Is Going to Get Crushed in Asia. Rethink Your Valuation. (59) Dec 06, 2020

Show notes

This 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:

Concepts for this class.

Digital Platforms: Marketplaces for Products and Services. This is on the right side of the pyramid below.
Bundling and Cross-Selling. These are under soft advanges below (light green).
Network Effects. This is under competitive advantage below (dark green).

Companies for this class:

Airbnb

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 5, with a focus on:

#16: Basics of Ctrip, Meituan and Other Marketplace Platforms for Services

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I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and transformation.
I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that helps retailers, brands, and technology companies exploit digital change to grow faster, innovate better and build digital moats. Get in touch here.
My book series Moats and Marathons is one-of-a-kind framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.
Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

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Introduction to Innovation, Elon Musk and Android's Dominant Design. (58) Nov 29, 2020

Show notes

This 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:

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on:

#32: Innovation, Adaptation and Resilience as Competitive Strategy

Concepts for this class.

SMILE Marathon: Sustained Innovation
Dominant Design and Architectural vs. Component Innovation
S-Curves for Tech Performance vs. Tech Diffusion
Increasing Returns to Tech Adoption
Learning Effects and Learning Curve
Network Effects
Path Dependency

Companies for this class:

Android

———-
I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and transformation.
I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that helps retailers, brands, and technology companies exploit digital change to grow faster, innovate better and build digital moats. Get in touch here.
My book series Moats and Marathons is one-of-a-kind framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.
Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

Alibaba, Android and The Emerging Art of Ecosystem Management. (57) Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

This 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:

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on:

#30: Ecosystems vs. Platforms

Concepts for this class.

Ecosystems vs. Digital Platforms
SMILE Marathon: Ecosystem Orchestration and Management
Linked Business Models

Companies for this class:

Alibaba
Android

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Forget the "Alibaba Ecosystem". It's About Collaboration-Based Industries and Business Models. (56) Nov 16, 2020

Show notes

Correction: 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, Michael Jacobides and BCG.
You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.
The slides mentioned are below.
Related podcasts and articles:

What is Alibaba’s Best Growth Strategy? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 50)

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on:

#30: Ecosystems vs. Platforms

Concepts for this class.

Ecosystems vs. Digital Platforms
SMILE Marathon: Ecosystem Orchestration and Management

Companies for this class:

Alibaba

Support the show

How Digital Creates and Destroys Competitive Advantage. Digital Economics II. (55) Nov 08, 2020

Show notes

This 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:

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on:

#29: Digital Economics II

Concepts for this class.

Digital Information and Economics
Economies of Scale
Minimum Efficient Scale
5 Scenarios Where Digital Impacts Economies of Scale
Network Effects
Standardization And Interconntections Network Effects

Companies for this class:

Support the show

5 Trends That Will Power Digital China / Asia for the Next Decade (54) Nov 01, 2020

Show notes

These 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 digital is combined with innovation in hardware.
Smart IoT logistics platforms will emerge and connect consumers, retailers, businesses and others autonomously and in real-time.
New Manufacturing will emerge in Asia that is flexible, efficient and connected.
Smart cities will emerge and may become operating platforms.
Digital finance may leapfrog the traditional banking and financial system.

You can listen to this podcast here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.
This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on:

#26: Advanced New Retail

Concepts for this class.

New Retail
Online Merge Offline
Smart IoT Logistics Platforms
China Digital Consumer Network (CDCN)
New Manufacturing

Companies for this class:

Xiaomi
DJI
Xunxi
Cainiao
JD Logistics
Insta360 / Arashi Vision

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Digital Economics II: Why Pricing Is Getting Both Complicated and Critical. (53) Oct 26, 2020

Show notes

This 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

Concepts for this class.

Combinatorial Innovation
Price Discrimination
Common Pricing Strategies (Penetration Pricing, Market Skimming, Survival Pricing, Maximize Profit Pricing)
Pricing and Switching Costs
Switching Costs

Companies for this class:

Support the show

Why the Bytedance "Attention Factory" Is a Threat to Facebook (52) Oct 19, 2020

Show notes

Matthew Brennan has published:

Attention Factory: The Story of TikTok and China's ByteDance

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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: Adaptation, Innovation and Resilience as Competitive Strategy

Concepts for this class.

SMILE Marathon 2: Machine Learning / AI and Zero-Human Operations
SMILE Marathon 4: Rate of Learning
Learning Advantages
Social Capital

Companies for this class:

Bytedance
TikTok / Douyin
Facebook

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The Fight Between Alibaba Cloud, AWS and Friedrich Hayek (51) Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

At 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:

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on:

#30: Ecosystems vs. Platforms

Concepts for this class.

Ecosystems vs. Digital Platforms
Platform Types: Coordination, Collaboration and Standardization

Companies for this class:

Alibaba
Alibaba Cloud

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What is Alibaba's Best Growth Strategy? (50) Oct 04, 2020

Show notes

At 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 categories and supply-side transformation based on consumer insights.”
“To create or redefine online / offline retail formats leveraging our digital technology”
“To upgrade Alipay from digital check out to digital check in.”

The mentioned slides are here.
Related podcasts and articles:

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 7, with a focus on: