Episode 164 — Valuing Value Chains

Episode 164 — Valuing Value Chains

Author: Ben Thompson / James Allworth March 1, 2019 Duration: 1:06:04
Ben and James discuss Amazon, Walmart, and groceries, Google Cloud versus AWS, and why understanding value chains helps evaluate business opportunities. Links Ben Thompson: The Value Chain Constraint — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Walmart’s Earnings, Walmart’s Grocery Business, Amazon’s Grocery Stumbles — Stratechery Daily Update Ben Thompson: Amazon the Black Swan — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Amazon’s New Customer — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Walmart and the Multichannel Trap — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Google Cloud Changes CEOs, Layers of Surprise (or Not), The VMWare Analogy — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Amazon Tax — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Venture Capital and the Internet’s Impact — … Continue reading Episode 164 — Valuing Value Chains

Hosted by Ben Thompson and James Allworth, Exponent is a conversation that digs into the deeper currents shaping our world. The discussion moves beyond mere gadget reviews or Silicon Valley hype, focusing instead on how technology fundamentally reshapes business models, industries, and the very fabric of society. Thompson, known for his Stratechery blog on tech business strategy, and Allworth, a writer and co-author of "How Will You Measure Your Life," bring distinct but complementary perspectives. Each episode feels like a thoughtful dialogue, where ideas are examined from multiple angles. You’ll hear them analyze how a single platform can upend entire sectors, or debate the societal trade-offs that come with rapid innovation. This podcast is for anyone who wants to understand not just what is happening in tech, but why it matters. The conversations are detailed and often forward-looking, connecting strategic insights with their broader human implications. Listening feels like being a fly on the wall for a compelling weekly discussion between two sharp observers, making sense of the complex forces driven by technology.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

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Podcast Episodes
Episode 146 — Facebook’s Real Mistake [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:11
Ben and James discuss Facebook’s current crisis, and why almost everyone misunderstands what the company did wrong: the problem isn’t advertising, it was Facebook’s desire to be a platform. Presented by WordPress.com: Ge…
Episode 145 — Qualcomm, Patents, and Innovation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:34
Ben and James discuss President Trump’s intervention in Broadcom’s takeover of Qualcomm, the problem with patents, and whether or not markets inherently overvalue short-term thinking. Presented by WordPress.com: Get 15%…
Episode 144 — 90s Alt Forever [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:09
Ben and James discuss Spotify’s F-1, why Spotify isn’t Netflix, and why record companies are doing well even though they are acting sub-optimally. Presented by WordPress.com: Get 15% off on a new site by visiting WordPre…
Episode 143 — Dilly-Dallying Dropbox [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:38
Ben and James discuss Dropbox’s S-1 and why the company is a success but still a disappointment. Plus, why companies should go public sooner. Presented by WordPress.com: Get 15% off on a new site by visiting WordPress.co…
Episode 142 (Updated) — Google and Antitrust [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:13
Ben and James discuss Google’s recent moves around blocking ads and promoting AMP and whether they raise antitrust questions. Plus, why Microsoft couldn’t have stopped Google, and why cryptocurrencies are aggregator kryp…
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Duration: 0:00
The original version of this podcast included an editing error. The new version is here.
Episode 141 — The Mailbag Episode [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:45
Ben and James answer reader questions. Topics include business school, career advice, the nature of strategy, creating the next Silicon Valley, and how governments should deal with the disruptions caused by the Internet.…
Episode 140 — The Products They Built Along the Way [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:09
Ben and James discuss Apple’s strategy of monetizing its customer base, how that explains HomePod, and whether or not it is a problem. Presented by WordPress.com: Get 15% off on a new site by visiting WordPress.com/Expon…
Episode 139 — Amazon and Health Care [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:59
Ben and James discuss Amazon’s health care announcement and why the industry is so challenging. Presented by WordPress.com: Get 15% off on a new site by visiting WordPress.com/Exponent. Links Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway a…
Episode 138 — A Moat Too Far [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:59
Ben and James discuss Amazon Go and what it says about the economics of tech and how Amazon is building multiple monopolies. Presented by WordPress.com: Get 15% off on a new site by visiting WordPress.com/Exponent. Links…