Sam Blumenthal
@samblumenthal
Sam Blumenthal
When you think about it that way — that Netflix isn’t so much a network as they are a type of marketplace in which consumers can give their attention to creators — it becomes apparent that Netflix isn’t that far off from Uber or Airbnb or any of the other market-makers that are transforming industry-after-industry. Netflix: 1. Is an infinitely... See more
stratechery.com • Netflix and the Conservation of Attractive Profits - Stratechery by Ben Thompson
On talent and
In a world of branded quasi-commodity products like coffee with little barriers to entry, the social interaction — or atmosphere of the store’s community — is ultimately what differentiates a brand and creates defensibility.
Sam Blumenthal • Social Retail: Immersion & Serendipity
Tophatter’s games are reminiscent of the mini-games that have appeared for the past few years on Chinese e-commerce apps. One of the earliest examples is Alipay’s “Ant Forest,” which was launched in 2016, and gives users points that they can use to plant virtual trees each time they pay for, say, public transit. Most other mini-games, however, have... See more
Michael Waters • Tophatter is bringing gamified commerce to the U.S.
