alphast0rm

It's much easier to discuss and reason about complex systems when the names are self-explanatory, especially when you get to 100s or 1000s of names.

> Note the centrality of software in all of these characteristics:

> - Software creates ecosystems.

> - Software has zero marginal costs.

> - Software improves over time.

> - Software offers infinite leverage.

> - Software enables zero transaction costs.

> The question of whether companies are tech companies, then, depends on how much of their business is governed by software’s unique characteristics, and how much is limited by real world factors.

  ...

> - There is a software-created ecosystem of drivers and riders.

> - Like Airbnb, Uber reports its revenue as if it has low marginal costs, but a holistic view of rides shows that the company pays drivers around 80 percent of total revenue; this isn’t a world of zero marginal costs.

> - Uber’s platform improves over time.

> - Uber is able to serve the entire world, giving it maximum leverage.

> - Uber can transact with anyone with a self-serve model.

> A major question about Uber concerns transaction costs: bringing and keeping drivers on the platform is very expensive. This doesn’t mean that Uber isn’t a tech company, but it does underscore the degree to which its model is dependent on factors that don’t have zero costs attached to them.

He walks through a few other examples as well (e.g. Netflix, Airbnb, WeWork, Peloton), would definitely recommend reading the whole article.

Asked whether New Zealand had eliminated COVID-19, Ardern replied: "currently."

  So what about companies like WeWork and Peloton that interact with the real world? Note the centrality of software in all of these characteristics:

  - Software creates ecosystems.
  - Software has zero marginal costs.
  - Software improves over time.
  - Software offers infinite leverage.
  - Software enables zero transaction costs.

  ...

  - WeWork claims it has a software-created ecosystem that connect companies and employees across locations, but it is difficult to find evidence that this is a driving factor for WeWork’s business.
  - WeWork pays a huge percentage of its revenue in rent.
  - WeWork’s offering certainly has the potential to improve over time.
  - WeWork is limited by the number of locations it builds out.
  - WeWork requires a consultation for even a one-person rental, and relies heavily on brokers for larger businesses.

  Frankly, it is hard to see how WeWork is a tech company in any way.

> With the newest version of the app, Square will flip the model so that food will be prepared just in time for the customer arrive, thanks to a new arrival prediction feature. The technology is designed to track users as they approach a store they’ve ordered from and alert it when they’re nearby so an order can be made just in time.

> For the technology to work, sellers need to set preparation times for different items on their menu. The app then creates a sort of geofence around the business, and recognizes when a customer is nearby and someone should start on an order.

This worked particularly well for me every morning when I'd order a latte, it's great to see more businesses offer similar functionality.