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This is great! Thanks for writing this! I’d be curious to know if Ryan has actually made more money by doing Instagram Live sessions and relying on donations? With his reach exploding, it would be interesting if he had made more money and if he felt a total switch to online sessions would work. My personal opinion is that he should use his current popularity and celebrity fanfare to try and grow offline, similar to SoulCycle. I just believe the offline experience is totally different and more powerful than online and thus once the crisis ends, there will be less people willing to dance at home. He could, however, offer online components for registered members. Another factor to consider is whether people are attracted to his eccentric style or SweatShop/SweatFest in general. If it’s the latter then online classes after the crisis could potentially be very useful since he will be able to reach more people.

Thanks for writing this! Great insights! I’m somewhat surprised by Nextdoor’s growth during this crisis, especially with the Groups that have elderly check in and babysitting. I would have thought that at this time when social distancing is crucial, people would be more reluctant to engage in closer physical contact with neighbors that they don’t usually engage with. I’m assuming they don’t usually engage with these neighbors since they have to use Nextdoor to connect with them. Also, I thought people would use other social media apps like Zoom, Houseparty, Facebook, and Whatsapp to have video calls with their close friends instead of using Nextdoor to speak to neighbors they don’t really know. Either way, it’s interesting to see how the app has managed to leverage this crisis to grow. This probably bodes well for their IPO ambitions in the next few years.

Very interesting read! Seems like AirBnB have adapted very well to this crisis. I thought they would be crushed by it. Based on what you’ve written, I think the organisation is now well positioned to grow at an even faster pace when the crisis eventually ends. I believe travel will boom once the borders open up with people ready to get out again. Honestly, if AirBnB have found a way to survive this, then I think the company will be here for many years to come.

Thanks for writing this very clearly! I’m intrigued by Tik Tok, especially since it reminds me of Vine, which had about 200M active monthly users at its peak. Tik Tok kind of gives me the same vibe. Moreover, it seems like the kind of thing Facebook could implement and compete with (ex: Instagram stories hurting snapchats entire business model). How could TikTok differentiate themselves and stay ahead of the curve, preventing either being taken over completely or having its business model copied and improved upon?

Very interesting to hear that Spotify are now using AI to create their own music and I totally agree about the risk of alienating artists with such technology. If they do have these capabilities, is it possible for Spotify to diversify completely and become a music label? With AI generated music, the likelihood of a song being a hit may be high, especially if data is used to predict popularity. Could artists be interested in appearing on such records in order to increase or consolidate exposure?

This is interesting! Can definitely see the value proposition of a barbie able to have a 2 way conversation with a kid. I was wondering if there were any concerns or potential risks around children becoming too attached their barbie and preferring to talk with a doll instead of other children? In this spirit, should there be a limit on just how well the barbie should be able to speak?

Thanks for writing this! This is an interesting idea and one that has great value as you’ve clearly articulated. I wonder if CookPad can potentially expand it’s appeal by having a video platform as well. Some amateurs (like me for example lol) can be very basic when it comes to following recipes and need to see the dish actually being made. Watching normal people like oneself make a dish can be very encouraging and often more effective than a recipe. Thus maybe by doing this CookPad can expand it’s market to include people who just aren’t very good but would like to learn without going to a class or asking someone to teach them? Not sure if there’s a huge market size for this but it’s something I feel people like me would be very interested in.

This is a great, well articulated blog! I have never used InstaCart personally but I can I clearly see the value proposition and will probably use it at some point in the future. I agree that InstaCart face a huge threat from large grocery chains that can ultimately go create their own food delivery options. I would think it may be time for InstaCart to consider a sale to companies whose services they complement (Uber for example). I’m not certain what percentage of InstaCart’s revenues come from large stores like WholeFoods and WalMart. If it’s a significant amount, InstaCart may have to pivot into service smaller sized stores that can’t afford their own delivery app or potentially focus platform building for stores that do.

Really loved reading this blog!! I went on a few Gojek motorcycles in Jakarta this past January and absolutely loved the experience. I had no idea it was more than a ride sharing app. I wonder if Gojek can expand internationally by only providing select services that would work well. For example, there are probably quite a number of African countries that could use services such as GoClean, GoSend etc. So given Gojek’s vast range of services, could they explore offering tailored subsets of services that fit particular countries as a way to expand internationally?

I thought this was interesting particularly because I was huge fan of polaroids growing up! But I’ve never stopped to think what happened to them. I thought they were a completely done for and I’m quite surprised they are still around. Unfortunately, I do not see a comeback for this company. Unless they were to somehow completely pivot into a new industry, I think their time is up. Their market is extremely limited and they just do not have the capability to compete in the current space.

This was very interesting. Had no idea the Louvre had all this. You don’t often think of old institutions such as these leading the way in digital innovation. I am curious if these kind of initiatives are seen at other museums. I’ve personally never experienced it and I’m wondering if the Louvre are the only one engaging in this kind of digital innovation. I think it would be fantastic at Natural History museums in particular.

Great blog! I also agree that Venmo is a digital winner and I can’t think of any service that offers the same quality and user experience. I’m curious to see how Venmo’s social experience (app interface, transaction timeline etc.) sets them apart. I believe the way the app is set up (like the use of emojis, ability to see what friends are charging each other) provides a setting that “masks” the potential awkwardness of requesting payments. It’s possible that this is something that could easily be copied by competitors and potentially improved upon. However, I believe Venmo has captured such a large share of the market and has thus created powerful network effects. Getting anyone to move off the platform now would be a huge challenge.