Google Project X

  • Great article from Wired on Google X.
  • We are a creativity organisation, not a technology organisation.” 
  • The real test is 15 to 20 years from now, when the dust is settled and we look backwards. Then how are we doing?” Teller says. Until then, there will always be more crazy ideas worth chasing. “The world’s got more than enough problems, sadly.

Disney

  • This is a chart of the top app downloads in US. Check out Disney.
  • The launch of Disney+ in mid-November was unprecedented in the U.S. Its 31 million downloads in Q4 2019 was more than double the total for the next closest app, TikTok.” 
  • It was still top despite launching Nov 12 – some way into the quarter.
  • Source: Sensor Tower (lots of good app stats inside report).
  • h/t The Big Picture.

Spotify

  • Great article on Spotify.
  • The rise of AirPods, smart speakers, and other wearable devices may not signal the onset of a true platform shift, but it undoubtedly represents a transformational evolution in the way we will consume media — and this emerging paradigm of distributed, “eyes up” device interaction directly benefits audio more than other content categories.
  • Nice table comparing the music services as well.

How to Invest in Start-ups

  • A really great article by Sam Altman.
  • An interesting perspective on how to invest in winners.
  • There is a lot of advice about how to be a good startup founder.  But there isn’t very much about how to be a good startup investor. Before going any further, I should point out that this is a particularly hard time to invest in startups—it’s easier right now to be a capital-taker than a capital-giver.”
  • h/t The Browser.

2019 Internet Trend Report

  • Mary Meeker’s latest Internet Trends Report is, as always, interesting.
  • It is a treasure trove of information to do with Internet and Media.
  • For example this chart showing that in the US the amount of time spent on mobile surpassed time spent watching TV.
  • More snippets to follow but the whole report is worth a flick.
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