H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (1 March 2019) – “If one knew but one-half the difficulties an artist has to surmount. the public would be less ready to censure him for his shortcomings or slow advancement. The only remedy I know is patience with perseverance, and these are always sure, with a real honest love for art, to produce something.”

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (1 March 2019) – “If one knew but one-half the difficulties an artist has to surmount. the public would be less ready to censure him for his shortcomings or slow advancement. The only remedy I know is patience with perseverance, and these are always sure, with a real honest love for art, to produce something.”

Companies

• China’s iFlytek net profits up 21.62 pct in 2018 (XHN)
• Anime site Bilibili quadrupled monthly paying users in 2018 (Technode)
• 360 Finance plans to take on Pinduoduo with foray into social e-commerce (Technode)
• NetEase said to start large scale layoffs to “optimise business” (KRA)
• Amazon, Comcast, EA join list of Nexon bidders (Investor); Nexon Shorts Build Up Massive $422 Million Bet Against Buyout (Bloomberg)
• A Billionaire Forged in Free Fire, the Fortnite of Singapore; Even though last year’s net loss widened to $961 million, investors are betting that Sea’s costly expansion into e-commerce will complement its gaming arm (Bloomberg)

BATTSS – Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, TSMC, Samsung, Softbank

• Tencent said to be considering partial acquisition of Universal Music Group (KRA)

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

• Apple shipped 9.2M Apple Watch units in Q4 2018 to capture half of market (AI); Apple’s Aetna deal hints at the future of health-and the Apple Watch (FastCo)
• Amazon thinks AI will help solve its counterfeits problem (CNN); Amazon unveils self-service tool for brands to take down counterfeit listings; Amazon unveils Project Zero that gives brands a self-service tool to take down counterfeit listings (SCMP)
• Why this $42b fund manager has given up on Amazon; “When you look at their core US e-commerce business, which is the vast majority of their revenues, we’ve seen, for about seven or eight quarters, a deceleration in that growth.” (AFR)
• How Netflix Nearly Lost Its Footing During the Recession and What It Did to Recover (Medium)
• Inside the secretly effective-and underrated-way Netflix keeps its shows and movies at the forefront of pop culture (FastCo)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Robots are taking over China’s food service industry, and making it better (TN)
• How Huawei’s Foldable Mate X Can Be Apple’s Nightmare In China (Forbes)
• Chinese Car Sales Startup Chehaoduo Raises $1.5B From The SoftBank Vision Fund (CB)
• OLED will go mainstream and surpass LCD displays: LGD CTO (Investor)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Forget the FAANGs. Pay Attention to the Highflying PUTINs. (Bloomberg)
• Mirakl raises $70 million to manage the marketplace of your e-commerce website (TC)
• ClassDojo, an app to help teachers and parents communicate better, raises $35M (TC)
• Monk’s Hill portfolio company ELSA raises US$7 million Series A; ELSA uses artificial intelligence to hear mistakes in pronunciation and offer very specific corrections (e27)
• Stop limiting quantum computing to speed (TC)
• Disney Is Reportedly Eyeing AT&T’s Stake in Hulu as a Dizzying M&A Run for Media Continues (Barron’s)
• Emerson is larger in the “process automation” arena. Rockwell instead relies more on “discrete automation,” meaning its products are used to automate individual factory processes-like integrating a new robot in an car factory to install windshields (Barron’s)
• Workday Stock Is Rising Because Subscriptions Keep Rolling In (Barron’s)
• Regulatory showdown awaits for Big Tech – but who gets the job? Pressure is growing on both sides of the Atlantic for giants’ dominance to be curbed (FT)
• Dell returns to public markets with inscrutable numbers (MW)
• Spotify takes next step towards world domination as it enters India (AFR)
• Online shopping algorithms are colluding to keep prices high; new algorithmic pricing programmes are becoming far more sophisticated than the original revenue management systems because of developments in artificial intelligence (AFR)
• Chip Roadmap Looks Dark, Bumpy; Resists under pressure to deliver fine features (EE Times)
• Zūm Raises $40M To Help Schools Save Money On Transportation (CB)
• Tesla closing retail stores in shift to online-only sales strategy (TC)
• Can ride-pooling service Via catch up to Uber and Lyft by being the friendly alternative? (FastCo)
• E-Commerce Holdout Marshalls Is Finally Embracing the Internet (Bloomberg)

Life

• “If one knew but one-half the difficulties an artist has to surmount. the public would be less ready to censure him for his shortcomings or slow advancement. The only remedy I know is patience with perseverance, and these are always sure, with a real honest love for art, to produce something.” (BP)
• The Perils of Investing Idol Worship: The Kraft Heinz Lessons! (Damodaran)
• Aligning Business Models to Markets (KC)
• Will accountants become the weavers of the 21st century? (AT)
• Status as a Service (StaaS) (EW)
• Why Visionary Leadership Fails (HBR)
• The Nature of Technology: What it is and How it Evolves by Brian Arthur (Blas)
• How to pick technology winners; Some of today’s innovations will become as prevalent as smartphones. Others, such as jet packs, won’t take off. Three factors can help you tell which are likely to succeed. (SB)
• Podcast #486: How to Get Better at Making Life-Changing Decisions (AOM)