Google sticks its oar in. Google’s move to tighten up on who can dodge its app store commission goes hand in hand with a more open environment on Android for competing app stores which I suspect is aimed at deflecting growing claims of monopolistic abuse while earning more than ever from Google Play. Google has said that it is going...
SMIC has a way out. The US Department of Commerce is going after SMIC’s alleged connections to the Chinese military rather than placing it directly on the entity list, potentially offering SMIC a way out of its current predicament. On Friday 25th September 2020, the US Department of Commerce communicated new restrictions on the export of certain products to SMIC....
Amazon stretches its lead. Amazon has launched some radical redesigns and ideas once again demonstrating how experimental Amazon is prepared to be when it comes to looking for what works in the smart home. Alexa Top of the list is the complete redesign of the Echo flagship product into a sphere. This gives the device a more futuristic look and...
OpenAI shows Microsoft the money. Microsoft’s latest deal with OpenAI is little more than Microsoft supporting what is probably becoming one of its biggest clients. Microsoft has extended its relationship with OpenAI beyond its original investment (see here) and the supercomputer that it announced in May 2020 to exclusively license OpenAI newest language algorithm, GPT-3. This means that access to...
Lack of fluff underpins credibility. The lack of fluff and hyperbole on display gave Tesla much better credibility that the advances it announced in its battery technology are real and will be delivered within the stated time frame. This in stark contrast to the autonomous driving day (see here) where unrealistic claims about autopilot’s ability, timelines and a robotaxi business...
Quibi signals that peak mania is close. The fact that Quibi can credibly entertain the prospect of raising more money, selling itself or going public is a sign that there is way too much money sloshing around in the system and that a big correction is imminent just as it was 20 years ago. Quibi was a bad idea demonstrated...
Now it comes down to China. Its looks like Oracle and TikTok have made just enough concessions to pass the US administration but now comes the test of whether these concessions are too much for China. The general agreement is that TikTok (outside of China) will be spun out into a new entity (valued at $60bn (see below) of which...
The margin by which this deal is approved is wafer-thin. The fact that Oracle will have access to TikTok’s algorithms and source code greatly increases the chances of the deal being approved by the US administration, but it also greatly increases the chances of it being blocked by China. The first details of the deal between TikTok and Oracle (see...
Mid-market makes sense for services. Behind the funky new watch features and the new, more expensive iPad Air are cheaper versions which are clearly aimed at keeping shipments going through what is going to be a difficult period. Apple also moved to add life to its services offerings which outside of Music have not fared very well to date. Apple...
Richard is founder, owner of research company, Radio Free Mobile. He has 16 years of experience working in sell side equity research. During his 11 year tenure at Nomura Securities, he focused on the equity coverage of the Global Technology sector.
Palantir – F for governance.
Palantir takes unfair treatment of shareholders to a new level. Palantir’s S-1 and recent revisions reveal a voting structure that overwhelmingly favours its founders, ensuring that public investors are at great risk of paying the economic price of bad decisions over which they have no say. Palantir voting structure is very confusing to put mildly. On top of the now,...