Month: December 2020

Apple’s Next CEO Ought To Be An Innovator

Apple’s Next CEO Ought To Be An Innovator

Apple CEO in-waiting Jeff Williams is a Tim Cook clone. We argue that Apple's next Chief Executive ought to be a risk-taking, product-focused CEO that conducts him/herself with a sense of urgency to drive Product & Services growth. Another caretaker CEO would be less than optimal. Companies mentioned: Alphabet (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Cerner … Continue reading Apple’s Next CEO Ought To Be An Innovator

Artificial Intelligence Is Electricity 2.0

Artificial Intelligence Is Electricity 2.0

AWS, Azure and GCP are to thank in large part for the proliferation of applications powered by broadly-defined AI. The big three remote server platforms have made it increasingly easy for companies of all sizes from all industries to build applications that incorporate core AI, machine learning, deep learning and related capabilities. A wide variety … Continue reading Artificial Intelligence Is Electricity 2.0

Palantir Is Not A Software Company

Palantir Is Not A Software Company

Palantir (tkr: PLTR) is not a Software company no matter how hard it may try. It appears that Palantir has allocated a portion of Costs of Goods Sold to General & Administrative expenses in order to boost Gross Margins in-line with Software company Gross Margins (click here for PLTR table). Doing so helped PLTR benefit … Continue reading Palantir Is Not A Software Company

SolarWinds Is One of Many Cyberbreaches to Come

SolarWinds Is One of Many Cyberbreaches to Come

Early last week we wrote about SolarWinds and the potential for another leg to drop. SolarWinds has a long road to recovery. Cyberbreaches of that sort don't engender customer trust and often lead to significant customer churn. What other companies may be at risk of a cyberbreach? Tickers mentioned: AMZN, AVGO, CERN, EFX, EXPGF, FICO, … Continue reading SolarWinds Is One of Many Cyberbreaches to Come

Apple Is A Services Company. Except It’s Not.

Apple Is A Services Company. Except It’s Not.

Apple promotors want investors to believe that Apple is a Services company. That is not reality. "Services" accounted for only 20% of revenue in AAPL's most recent fiscal year (see our table below). If Apple were to "bundle" certain hardware products into a version of its Apple One subscription (see our header photo), the company … Continue reading Apple Is A Services Company. Except It’s Not.

Usage-Based Pricing Models Can Be A Win-Win for Customers and Vendors

Usage-Based Pricing Models Can Be A Win-Win for Customers and Vendors

Usage-based pricing models enable customers to better understand cost drivers of a given product or service. In addition, Technology vendors may capture revenue lift from usage-based pricing that otherwise may be left on the table under a traditional tiered fee or flat fee pricing model. Tickers mentioned: GOOG, SNOW The tiered subscription pricing model favored … Continue reading Usage-Based Pricing Models Can Be A Win-Win for Customers and Vendors

When Investors Want To Believe They’ll Believe

When Investors Want To Believe They’ll Believe

When in a bubble there's no telling when it may end. Tesla is certainly one of 2020's bubble companies. The more TSLA shares climb the more investors chase, largely motivated by fear of missing out. Is Tesla disrupting the auto industry? Sure. The question is how much do you pay for a disruptor when much … Continue reading When Investors Want To Believe They’ll Believe

Is There Another Leg To Drop In The SolarWinds Cyberbreach?

Is There Another Leg To Drop In The SolarWinds Cyberbreach?

Cyberbreaches do not receive enough attention. The last time we railed against a company related to a Cyberbreach was the Equifax (tkr: EFX), hack of 2017. That breach was disclosed in September 2017 despite the fact that the company had knowledge of the hack for months. EFX executives sold stock ahead of the disclosure. SolarWinds … Continue reading Is There Another Leg To Drop In The SolarWinds Cyberbreach?

Leading A Successful Advanced Analytics Project Is More Difficult Than Many Companies Anticipate

Leading A Successful Advanced Analytics Project Is More Difficult Than Many Companies Anticipate

Advanced Analytics is not easy. It takes significantly more effort than hiring a bunch of Data Scientists and leasing Analytics software and tools. Some questions to consider as an operating executive when preparing to embark on an Analytics journey: What is the mission? What do you hope to achieve? It is critical that operating executives … Continue reading Leading A Successful Advanced Analytics Project Is More Difficult Than Many Companies Anticipate