Archive
2021
23 articles from this year.
Kia's EV6 record tested charging speed, not everyday reliability
Kia's EV6 beat a U.S. cross-country charging-time record in 2021. A record run still left everyday charger reliability untested.
Peloton reports wider-than-expected loss
Peloton's 2021 price cut and guidance downgrade raised a basic question: would lower-margin Bikes produce lasting subscribers?
Lime's $500 million financing left the fleet economics open
Lime's 2021 financing showed investor interest, but debt and ride counts couldn't prove its scooter fleet was profitable.
Lyft Rentals looked useful. Owning the fleet was harder.
Lyft Rentals was convenient in San Francisco, but its later shutdown showed how much harder fleet ownership is than adding a booking option.
Uber's Hertz deal put 50,000 Tesla rentals on the horizon
Uber's Hertz deal offered drivers Tesla rentals, but the weekly fee made net earnings the real EV-adoption test.
AMD beats revenue estimates with $4.31B
AMD's 54% revenue growth in Q3 2021 said more about its product position against Intel than the day's share-price move.
Intel readies 12th-gen Alder Lake chips
Alder Lake gave Intel a credible response to AMD, but its new mix of performance and efficiency cores also made software scheduling part of the test.
France protects book industry from Amazon
France's proposed book-delivery minimum made a real trade: protect local shops by raising the cost of cheap shipping.
Uber starts 15-minute delivery in Paris
Uber's 15-minute Paris grocery offer made a strong promise, but dark stores and standby couriers carried the cost of keeping it.
Facebook Q3 earnings: profit beats estimates
Facebook's Q3 2021 profit beat proved its ad business could absorb a shock for a quarter, not that Apple's privacy changes were harmless.
PayPal is exploring Pinterest acquisition
The reported PayPal–Pinterest talks in 2021 raised a product question: could payments improve shopping without spoiling discovery?
Facebook fined $69.6 million in the UK for Giphy takeover
The UK's £50.5 million Giphy fine targeted Facebook's conduct during merger review, which is more telling than the size of the penalty.
The WHO's mRNA project needed manufacturing know-how
The WHO–Afrigen mRNA project showed why patent access alone could not build vaccine manufacturing capacity.
Netflix added 4.4 million memberships in Q3 2021
Netflix added 4.4 million memberships in the third quarter of 2021, beating its own forecast as revenue and profit rose.
San Francisco's delivery cap moved the cost question
San Francisco's delivery-fee cap protected restaurant margins in 2021. The unresolved tradeoff was where platforms moved the cost.
DoorDash and Uber Eats are gaining on Grubhub
DoorDash and Uber Eats gained share from Grubhub in 2021. Share estimates showed who won orders, not who earned them profit.
Netflix is reopening a movie theater in SoCal
Netflix's Bay Theatre plan looked less like a cinema chain and more like control over premieres, events, and theatrical presentation.
Uber completes Drizly acquisition
Uber's $1.1 billion Drizly purchase promised more delivery demand; the operating test was whether those orders paid for their own complexity.
What I watched in October 2021 earnings
My October 2021 earnings watchlist focused on Netflix retention, Tesla's factory ramp, and Intel's response to AMD.
And there's a new MacBook Pro
Apple's 2021 MacBook Pro made its in-house chips the main event; MagSafe and the smaller bezel were welcome practical fixes.
macOS Monterey will release on October 25
Monterey's 2021 release offered practical collaboration improvements, but Mac and app compatibility mattered more than launch day.
The wealthiest 10% of Americans own a record 89% of all U.S. stocks
The wealthiest tenth held nearly nine-tenths of U.S. stocks and mutual funds in 2021; market gains reached households unevenly.
Singapore's 2021 travel lanes made the flight number matter
Singapore's 2021 travel lanes made specific flight numbers matter. This dated post is not current entry guidance.