H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (15 December 2018) – Hermann Hesse on Hope, the Difficult Art of Taking Responsibility, and the Wisdom of the Inner Voice; 16 Ways to Measure Network Effects

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (15 December 2018) – Hermann Hesse on Hope, the Difficult Art of Taking Responsibility, and the Wisdom of the Inner Voice; 16 Ways to Measure Network Effects

Companies

• Line adds ‘white-hat’ hackers with South Korean acquisition (Nikkei)
• Amazon Japan and Mercari join Japan’s top business lobby Keidanren; Rakuten Inc. had become a member of Keidanren in 2004 but it withdrew in 2011, citing a difference in direction and philosophy. (Japan Times)
• Meitu piggybacks on Zepeto’s success with AI-powered cartoon feature (Technode)
• NetEase to invest RMB 100 million in remote learning (Technode)
• Dorigo Systems Utilizes Koh Young’s Data-Driven, Full 3D Inspection System; 3D AOI system uses data-driven analytics to overcome production challenges, and enables smart manufacturing for Dorigo Systems’ high-speed lines, vastly improving board inspection. (iconnect)
• Asustek shakeup: Q&A with company chairman Jonney Shih and president Jerry Shen (Digitimes)
• Poor iPhone sales deal harsh blow to Apple suppliers in Korea (PN)

BATTS – Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, TSMC, Samsung

• Baidu to invest RMB 1 billion in mini-program development (Technode)
• WeChat creator Allan Zhang quoted Jeff Bezos to warn product managers to choose be kind than clever (KRA)
• SoftBank: A disruptive force on the defensive; New headwinds swirl around mobile unit ahead of $23bn initial public offering (Nikkei)

FAANNMG – Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Nvidia, Netflix, Microsoft, Google

• Facebook could face billion dollar fine for data breaches (CNN)
• Google’s New AI Is a Master of Games, but How Does It Compare to the Human Mind? (SSM)
• Nvidia’s limited China connections (Techcrunch)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Huawei ban casts shadow over $100bn economic sphere; Chinese giant’s vast supply chain spans US, Japan and South Korea (Nikkei)
• China’s social credit poses rising risk to CEOs (Reuters)
• Go-Jek drives into Thailand with beta app GET, aiming at ride-hailing and delivery market; After Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand, the Philippines is expected to the next target market for Go-Jek. (KRA)
• Vietnam’s Vingroup targets global markets with smartphones in tech shift (Reuters)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Shopify Plunges as Another Equity Raise Confuses Wall Street (Bloomberg)
• “Netflix for Nonfiction” streams 2,000+ documentaries for $2 per month (TNW)
• How 3D printers are transforming flying (CNN)
• Next Billion-Dollar Startups: How A Serial Social Shopping Entrepreneur Built Poshmark From Used Clothes Into A $625M Retail Empire (Forbes)
• WeWork’s Newest Challenger: A Billion-Dollar High-Rise For Tech Startups-And Facebook (Forbes)
• Niantic Inc., the company behind the popular game Pokémon Go, is looking to catch a $3.9 billion valuation (Bloomberg)
• Trading’s Future Arrives With a Pair of Goofy Virtual Reality Goggles (Barron’s)
• Adobe’s Price of Growth; Cloud software maker’s acquisitions weigh on projected earnings, but effect should be short lived (WSJ)
• Startups Promise the Future But It Doesn’t Always Arrive (Bloomberg)
• Postmates’ quest to build the delivery robot of the future (Wired)
• The attack of the killer fridges has begun (Reuters)

Life

• Hermann Hesse on Hope, the Difficult Art of Taking Responsibility, and the Wisdom of the Inner Voice (BP)
• 16 Ways to Measure Network Effects (a16z)
• XPO Stock Hit by Short Seller’s Report; the Amazon.com rival uses aggressive accounting to hide the poor returns on XPO’s growth-by-acquisition strategy (Barron’s, FW)
• Digital Growth Depends More on Business Models than Technology (HBR)