The Business Of Technology

The best reason to study Apple Preview 01:40

Its not that the company is the most valuable and profitable company in the world, and its not even because Apple's history is rich, interesting, and full of fascinating highs and lows. Its because more than any other company, Apple has applied Micro Econ 101 - the way to stand apart from perfect competition is via differentiation and branding.

How Important is Apple? Preview 03:59

Pretty damn important

Perfect Competition: The Exceptions Prove the Rule Preview 13:42

iPhones and Macs both prove a truism from Micro Econ 101: Perfect competition implies undifferentiated products and identical prices. Apple has this figured out - it vacuums all of the industry profits in smartphones with ~ 20% market share.

The Digital Hub: iTunes + iPod Preview 10:51

In 2001 Apple adopted a strategy it called the Digital Hub. See how iPod + iTunes set the stage for all of the spectacular hits to follow, including the iPad and the iPhone

On Tim's Watch: Apple Watch and Apple Pay Preview 09:49

Apple Pay and the Apple Watch represent the first major bets placed by the company in the post-Jobs era. The jury is out on whether these will be monster hits too.

How Big, How Far Preview 03:50

Apple's size and geographical spread are worth understanding - especially the company's success in China.

The Best of the Best Preview 02:31

Apple only competes with the best: Google, Samsung and Microsoft have all had complicated relationships with Apple

Need Help Counting the Money? Preview 11:38

We examine Apple's revenues, profit margins, growth rates and valuation.

A Job for Jobs Preview 01:56

Apple's story is inextricably linked to Steve Jobs - a brilliant, complicated individual

Apple Before the Second Coming Preview 15:57

We trace Apple's history from its founding in 1976 until the return of Steve Jobs for his second stint with the company in 1997. Interesting but volatile times for the company.

Unbeaten, Unbeatable Preview 11:13

In the period between Jobs' return to Apple in 1997 and his death in 2011, the company delivered an astonishing turnaround, and redefined one industry after another.

A Tale of two Twitters Preview 00:41

Twitter is a thriving platform, but a struggling company. This divergence makes it more - not less - important for us to understand.

An Important Dichotomy Preview 01:48

Why is Twitter so important? Because it is a flourishing platform but a struggling company.

Engagement Precedes Monetisation Preview 07:50

Twitter did a great job of monetising its early engagement, but did n't pay heed when engagement stagnated.

How does Twitter manage to lose so much money? Preview 17:40

For a company with its public profile, Twitter has astonishingly small revenues, and astonishingly high costs.

How Big, How Far Preview 02:10

Because we don't really know a company until we understand its size and geographical spread.

Twitter's Strange Life So Far Preview 12:40

Twitter has had a strange life so far. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

The Characters in the Drama Preview 05:32

Key characters from Twitter's past and possibly its future.

Toe-to-Toe Preview 07:21

Twitter competes with two of the most successful and valuable company's in the world right now: Google and Facebook. So far, its struggled to go toe-to-toe.

LinkedIn: Network or Destination? Preview 00:42

LinkedIn is low on drama, but high on diversification. It is especially interesting to study right now, as it seeks to go from being a professional social network, to a content destination.

Sum of its Parts Preview 02:17

LinkedIn is important because it straddles many worlds. One company with 4 business models.

Not a One-Trick Pony Preview 12:19

But not a slouch at spending money either. That's the tale of LinkedIn's costs and revenues.

A Rare Success In China Preview 03:24

LinkedIn publishes unusually granular information about its geographic split - but even so the most noteworthy bit about its international operations is its relative success in China

Drama-Free Preview 03:50

LinkedIn's life has been far less drama-filled than that of many of its tech industry peers.

Social Network to Content Destination Preview 05:30

LinkedIn seems to be making a conscious shift from professional social network to content destination. See the why - and the how.

In Its Own Little Niches Preview 08:03

LinkedIn has 4 superbly diversified streams of revenue that still somehow make sense together, and defy classification - or competition

Facebook Rising Preview 00:38

Facebook is the most important social network, and one of the most successful companies in the world today

Rockstar du jour Preview 17:35

Facebook is doing many things right (right now): monetising well, engaging well; making smart acquisitions (Instagram, Whatsapp); executing on product. This rare combination has investors super-optimistic.

A Profit-Machine Buys Growth Preview 08:31

Facebook's core business is very very profitable - the company is consciously sacrificing some of those profits to quickly build up other businesses that might become its core businesses tomorrow.

Monetising in the US, Engaging in Asia Preview 02:38

Facebook's geographical splits show some interesting trends: the company is adroitly milking more revenue out of its mature markets, while simultaneously building engagement and a large user base in emerging markets.

Learning from mistakes: own and others Preview 13:10

Facebook's run so far has been widely studied - but this section focuses on Myspace's decline, and a brief period of uncertainty in 2012-2013 as drivers of Facebook's dream run in the last 2 years.

Goldilocks Preview 07:06

Some companies have size, others have growth, yet others have profits. Right now, only Facebook has them all. This Goldilocks combination is what makes Facebook so valuable relative to its peers (Google is 4x Facebook's revenues, but < 2x Facebook's valuation)