Russell's Profile

Thanks for sharing, Jesse. I love the ideas for how the MLB can use this to create engaging fan opportunities. In particular, the Zoom-type environments for fans to engage with each other and players is interesting. Partnerships around food delivery is also great. I could imagine fans getting a subscription service for pizza and a Red Sox souvenir delivered every game, or something like that.

Though the MLB has seemingly been lagging in popularity relative to leagues like the NBA for a while, it’s interesting how it is a global pandemic that may lead to the more transformational innovation.

I hope they can figure out a way to do this safely.

This is so interesting!! Thanks for sharing.

I have such mixed thoughts. On one hand, I think it is hugely beneficial, especially for those who may not be able to take the test close to home, or even in their home countries. On the other hand, the potential cheating or even false accusations of cheating may make it not worth the benefits. Per Jennifer’s comment above, re: monitoring via screen sharing, strong proctors, and other methods, this concern can be addressed; however, I still wonder whether it is worth opening up to the risk.

I didn’t know about this, so thanks very much for sharing in so much detail. Loved the post.

Hey Anuj. Thanks for sharing! I totally agree with your analysis. It’s already almost completely done among my friend group – we don’t see any benefits compared to FaceTime, and at this point, we generally even prefer Zoom.

The ability to see when friends are on is fun, but it just seems like that benefit is not relevant enough most days to even keep it top-of-mind (and may even be a drawback).

It’s interesting how it takes off so much within friend groups and just dies own though. Might be a microcosm for the company’s trajectory overall.

Thanks for the interesting article. I also have a question around the implication of this on real estate agents, so I figured I’d add on to this question. In the long-term, do you think Zillow has the potential to disrupt real estate agents to the same degree that Uber/Lyft disrupted taxis?

And if so, do you think there is something that real estate agents can do today to stay competitive in the long-term?

Thank you!

Russell

Thanks so much for sharing. If the product is as effective as it seems, I can definitely see the value. Many startups even hire a person specifically for testing. Do you know what the pricing is? And do you know if they offer free trials?

Thank you!

Russell

Thank you so much for sharing. I find this fascinating. I have one question: I believe that Woebot can be immensely helpful, so I don’t find those studies surprising. However, I wonder if those studies have been compared to the impact of something like gratitude journalling. Do you know if the Woebot/CBT model is more helpful than gratitude journalling?

Thank you again!

Thanks for sharing, Rocio! I have seen lots of ads for Masterclass online, but I have wondered about its quality.

For instance, if I take a Masterclass, how well do I really have that subject “mastered” by the end of it? For some reason, in the back of my mind, I think that if I take a course on Coursera, I am going to finish with a deep understanding of the topic, but if I take a Masterclass, I am just going to scratch the surface. Do you think that is valid? I would love any advice as I consider taking some of these.

Thank you!

Thanks for sharing, Joe.

I’ve never thought of how impressive it is that they beat out competitors like Skype, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts. I understand your points about ways they differentiated themselves and the importance of networks effects and network bridging, but I suppose Skype and Google Hangouts also have those benefits. In terms of the quality of the product itself, is it so different from its competitors?

Are there any lessons on how less-known companies might strategize to lead over such large competitors? Maybe it is the benefit of specialization and being seen as a leader in one area vs. being “good” in many?

Thanks again!

Thanks for sharing! I have a question regarding how they are responding to the pandemic.

I am an Instacart customer, and I love their regular value proposition. I can see how they add even more value in the pandemic, but I am worried about the question of “What is the delivery person has COVID?” Do you know if Instacart is doing anything to ensure that their delivery people are free of the virus? Additionally, is there official guidance to tell seniors how to get groceries if they are not supposed to leave their homes?

Thanks again for sharing!

Thanks for sharing! I think one thing that’s interesting to consider is whether it’s helpful to learn from classmates in a discussion format and whether Coursera will be able to replicate that.

Of course, with the case method at HBS, a lot of the learning comes from learning from classmates. I have found this to be one of the most valuable parts of HBS, not just in the classroom, but also learning from their life experiences and perspectives outside the classroom. That is something that I don’t think Coursera can replicate and should keep traditional models like HBS alive and valuable.

However, I just enrolled in my first lecture-based class at HBS without a case discussions. The lectures are also filmed, so we can re-watch them online later. I must say that I both learn better and faster by watching the video recording of the lecture. I feel that I am not missing anything, because it is just a lecture and I therefore am not missing perspectives from classmates. Additionally, I am gaining because I can watch the lecture at 1.5x speed and pause or rewind if I am slow to understand something. I therefore do see value in the online model for lecture-based classes.

I agree that Coursera is a winner, and especially for taking courses in one-off topics, I think it is an option that I will consider in the future.

Thanks again for posting!

Great post! This is super interesting to me – I had no idea this was such a powerful tool. There is one main thing I’m wondering about: What do you think allowed Starbucks to be more successful than other coffee shops with their Rewards program? Was it more the technology, the convenience, the recommendations, or the combination of everything together? I guess my thought is that I don’t know why more companies haven’t been able to replicate this.

A second thought is just that the power of this loyalty seems so strong that it may be impossible to disrupt, despite lower prices elsewhere. We see new coffee shops popping up all the time, and I’m not sure any of them stand a chance knowing this.

Thank you for sharing! This has opened my eyes to how important loyalty is and how brands can work on building that with customers.

Great article! I think two points are interesting to think about:

1. It is so impressive that despite being such an old organization, they have stayed on top of innovation against much larger companies who could in theory build this out themselves. I think the point you raised about them being small and agile is super important.

2. I wonder if they will seek to enter the eGaming market as it continues to grow and traditional TV viewership declines. It could be interesting for them to do the same things they do for sports for newer markets like eGaming. Eventually, I think those markets may end up being more similar than they are seen to be now.

Great read!