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Tag: Activision
VisionPro - Apple's mixed reality platform is what's next for Apple. However, the price point needs to come down before the high-end headset becomes ubiquitous. Assuming the price point comes down over the next several years, Apple will need glue to reel customers in and to drive usage. That means Apple will need to heavily … Continue reading What Next for Apple?
Yesterday we wrote about strategic glue. Microsoft (ticker: MSFT), ought to complete its Activision (ticker: ATVI), acquisition in Q4. There is no finer example of strategic glue than the Activision deal. The Activision deal will add stickiness to the Xbox gaming platform with hit games such as the Call of Duty franchise. In order for … Continue reading Microsoft, Activision & Strategic Glue
Now that Microsoft (ticker: MSFT) has received approval to acquire Activision (ticker: ATVI, better luck next time Lina Khan), I am curious as to what kind of operating leverage Activision may enjoy as Generative AI is deployed more deeply throughout the organization post-deal close. Video game publishers have been using AI for years to render … Continue reading Generative AI Across Activision Post-Deal Close
Will Adobe's incorporation of Generative AI into its product portfolio significantly increase user engagement? That's the $60K question. If so, what are Adobe's plans going forward for further building out its Generative AI stack? How much of said stack will be a proprietary build? To date, it appears that Adobe leaned heavily on Microsoft Azure/ … Continue reading Generative AI and Adobe
Whether it is the FTC or Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), I believe these Government agencies often block proposed mergers and acquisitions simply to justify their existence. They are government agencies after all and require taxpayer funds (or printed money) to survive. The CMA's MSFT decision adds zero value, will hinder innovation, and demonstrates … Continue reading The U.K. Blocking MSFT’s Proposed Activision Deal
Apple is going to win the VR/AR/MR war vs. Meta. Apple simply has more elements it can leverage across its ecosystem to deliver a superior user experience delivered through its forthcoming headset (June 2023). Microsoft will be a bigger VR/AR/MR player than META in due time given the combination of its Productivity apps (perfect for … Continue reading Apple vs. Meta Quest 2
I am not buying the talk that Bob Iger's mission is to identify his successor at Disney (DIS). A sale will most likely be Iger's final act as Disney CEO. Iger already whiffed once with his selection of Bob Chapek as his successor. Iger will not make the same mistake twice. Rather than name a … Continue reading Bob Iger’s Mission? Sell Disney.
Lina Khan's FTC is bad news. It reminds me of the FTC during the Obama Administration - quick to pick a fight with companies (I know from first-hand experience), without understanding the competitive landscape or how markets work. In this case, Microsoft's Xbox unit is the platform and Activision is the content publisher that will … Continue reading FTC Sues To Block Microsoft’s Activision Acquisition
Microsoft's (MSFT) deal for Activision (ATVI), will prove to be one in a string of such deals over the next few years whereby video game platform companies (Microsoft/Xbox, Google/Stadia, Amazon/Twitch), acquire video game content companies. These deals are similar to the wave of consolidation that took place in the 1980's and 1990's when distribution companies … Continue reading More Video Game Content Deals to Come
We have stated and written on a number of occasions that Corporate Governance - the "G" in "ESG" - is far and away the most important element of that acronym. Weak corporate Boards fail to hold management teams accountable. Sometimes Boards are weak because members don't know the company they serve well and are therefore … Continue reading “G” Is The Most Important Letter In “ESG”
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