2022-11-25
Recurring revenue (ARR) is coming to Car manufacturing. Mercedes locks faster acceleration behind a yearly $1,200 subscription. Basically, car brands will restrict built-in vehicle features to later sell as ongoing subscriptions. Video game features IRL https://www.theverge.com/...
Kotaku
Mercedes plans to charge $1,200 per year for “Acceleration Increase” in its EVs; Volkswagen, Toyota, and GM have all trialed similar subscription-based features
Mercedes are charging $1200 a year for an “Acceleration Increase” — For a few years now some car companies …
2021-12-19
Incredibly intelligent cross-selling when you think of it. Content goes viral, and at the corner you have, “order for delivery”. Makes sense to try it. Vitality converted to sales. https://twitter.com/...
Bloomberg
TikTok partners with Virtual Dining Concepts to launch TikTok Kitchen, a food delivery service based on viral trends, starting with 300 US locations in March
Kate Krader / Bloomberg :
Cross-selling x 1,000,000,000 TikTok is launching a delivery-only restaurant that will turn viral food videos into meals you can actually order. TikTok plans to launch around 300 locations by March 2022, and open more than 1,000 restaurants by end of 2022 https://techcrunch.com/...
Bloomberg
TikTok partners with Virtual Dining Concepts to launch TikTok Kitchen, a food delivery service based on viral trends, starting with 300 US locations in March
Kate Krader / Bloomberg :
2021-06-12
Whoosh! Seems I'm going to start a newsletter. https://twitter.com/...
Mashable
Twitter says it will add a newsletter subscribe button to user profiles in the coming weeks, available to those with a Revue account; Twitter will take a 5% cut
2021-06-11
Whoosh! Seems I'm going to start a newsletter. https://twitter.com/...
Mashable
Twitter says it will add a newsletter subscribe button to user profiles in the coming weeks, available to those with a Revue account; Twitter will take a 5% cut
and subscriptions—part of Twitter profiles. https://twitter.com/... Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz : Will Twitter do to Substack what it did to Clubhouse 🤷♂️ https://twitter.com/.....
2021-04-05
Great Thread on Company culture. Open Culture (Facebook) v. Closed Culture (Amazon) Summary: great companies and founders are highly intentional about culture. https://twitter.com/...
@danrose999
[Thread] Coatue Management Chairman on building company cultures at Amazon and Facebook, based on his combined 20 years of experience working for both
When a start-up is buying a 33-year old educational chain for almost $1 billion. Omo x 1 billion! Indian Edtech is on steroids and taking no hostages! https://twitter.com/...
TechCrunch
Byju's acquires Aakash Educational Services, which operates 200+ physical coaching centers in India, for “close to $1B” in cash and equity
Why did Byju's raise over $1 billion last year and is already inching closer to securing another half a billion dollars? We are getting some answers today.
2021-01-25
Social media is incentivizing people to do very risky things for likes & fame. The dangers are apparent, and may only get worse. https://twitter.com/...
Reuters
Italy tells TikTok to block all unverified user accounts after a 10-year-old girl dies while allegedly participating in the “blackout challenge” on the app
2021-01-22
MAJOR: Google has struck major digital copyright deal to pay French publishers for news content. Under the News Showcase, newspapers would be remunerated based on contributions to political & general information, daily volume & monthly internet audience. https://www.cnbc.com/...
The Guardian
In an Australian Senate hearing, a Google executive said that a law forcing Google to pay news outlets for links could prompt it to stop offering Search
As Google and Facebook face Senate committee, poll finds three in five Australians agree social media companies should prioritise news in feeds
MAJOR: Google has struck major digital copyright deal to pay French publishers for news content. Under the News Showcase, newspapers would be remunerated based on contributions to political & general information, daily volume & monthly internet audience. https://www.cnbc.com/...
TechCrunch
Google signs an agreement with French publishers to create a framework of payment for snippet reuse and has reached agreements with three major newspapers
2020-12-22
Google & Microsoft joined $100m investment in VerSe, Indian-language rival of TikTok, valuing VerSe at over $1 billion VerSe owns Josh (77 million monthly active users with 1.5 billion daily plays) & Dailyhunt (300 million users in 14 local languages) https://www.bloomberg.com/...
The Economic Times
India-based VerSe Innovation, the company behind news app Dailyhunt and short video app Josh, raises $100M+ at $1B+ valuation from Google, Microsoft, and others
Dailyhunt parent VerSe Innovation has raised more than $100 million funding from tech giants Google and Microsoft …
2020-12-03
Step has raised $50 million in Series B funding after growing to over 500,000 users in 2 months of official launch. It targets teen users between 13 - 18 by offering a bank account without fees & Visa card that helps establish credit before they are 18. https://techcrunch.com/...
TechCrunch
Step, a mobile banking service aimed at teens, raises a $50M Series B led by Coatue after growing to 500,000+ users only two months after its official launch
2020-11-29
A visionary in every sense: Sold LinkExchange to Microsoft at 24, started a venture firm, invested in transforming downtown Las Vegas when he moved there, led revolution of Zappos, authored the classic “delivering happiness”. Rest In Peace Tony Hsieh 🕯 https://techcrunch.com/...
Footwear News
Zappos co-founder Tony Hsieh, who stepped down as CEO earlier this year, has died at age 46, reportedly from injuries sustained in a house fire in Connecticut
Tony Hsieh, the brilliant and big-hearted Zappos.com luminary who revolutionized the shoe business and built one of the most innovative companies in modern history, has died.
2020-10-16
Stripe, valued at $36b is acquiring Nigeria's Paystack for deal estimated to be about $200M+ NOW THIS IS AN EXIT!!!! Young people are really doing the MOST! https://techcrunch.com/...
TechCrunch
Stripe acquires Nigerian startup Paystack, which enables integration of payments services using an API, sources say for $200M+
2020-09-30
MAJOR: Google is updating its Android software to make it easier for consumers to use other app stores that compete with its own. But if consumers use Google's Play App Store, Google will take a cut of many in-app payments (some as much as 30% of payment) https://www.bloomberg.com/...
AppleInsider
Judge proposes a jury trial for the Apple vs Epic case, likely to start in July 2021, while seemingly pushing back on some of Epic's key points in the hearing
2020-09-21
This is how powerful the Judiciary should be in any society. Every court in the judiciary, from magistrate to Supreme Court, should be the only arbiter on issues and be able to suspend even Presidential order and command the total compliance of the executive. https://twitter.com/...
CNBC
US judge in California issues a preliminary injunction halting Commerce Department's order banning downloads of WeChat from Sunday
one with a deal, the other with a judge's help Edvard Pettersson / Bloomberg : Trump's WeChat Curbs Halted by Judge on Free Speech Concerns David Shepardson / Reuters : Wall Stree...
The US ban on WeChat, which was supposed to go live today, has been put on hold by a US magistrate judge. A group of U.S. WeChat users brought a case that ban would violate the free-speech rights of millions of Chinese-speaking Americans who rely on it. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
CNBC
US judge in California issues a preliminary injunction halting Commerce Department's order banning downloads of WeChat from Sunday
one with a deal, the other with a judge's help Edvard Pettersson / Bloomberg : Trump's WeChat Curbs Halted by Judge on Free Speech Concerns David Shepardson / Reuters : Wall Stree...
2020-09-02
DATING IS BIG BUSINESS! Bumble, the dating app, plans to IPO early next year, targeting a valuation of between $6 billion - $8 billion. Last year, at a valuation of $3 billion, Blackstone bought a majority stake in bumble (which was founded 14 years ago) https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Bloomberg
Sources: dating app Bumble is preparing for an IPO sometime in early 2021, seeking a valuation between $6B and $8B
- Bumble in talks with banks about an IPO early next year — Blackstone Group bought majority stake in Bumble last year — Bumble, a dating app that lets women …
Google will pass on cost of digital services taxes in Europe to advertisers. Attempts by governments to get part of US tech revenues will increase advertisers' cost From Nov, customers in UK, Turkey & Austria will be charged an additional fee for adverts. https://www.ft.com/...
Financial Times
Google says it will raise the price for ads by 2% in UK and 5% in Turkey and Austria to cover the cost of European digital services taxes, starting in November
Alex Barker / Financial Times :
SoftBank is joining Facebook and Sequoia in investing $150m in an India education start-up, Unacademy, raiding its valuation from $510m to $1.45 billion. Unacademy's has quadrupled since February to 30 million registered users and over 18,000 educators. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Bloomberg
India-based online learning service Unacademy raises $150M Series F led by SoftBank's Vision Fund 2 at a $1.45B valuation, tripling a $510M valuation from Feb.
Saritha Rai / Bloomberg :