1. China knocks down on Edtech companies brutally

2. What’s next after Social Media? Facebook says its the “Metaverse”

3. India launches e-RUPI QR code-based vouchers for healthcare, and more

The Takeaways

1. The Chinese government issued guidelines that existing private tutoring companies be registered as non-profits, and stopping them from going public. This effectively dropped the market value of Chinese tech companies by hundreds of billions of dollars worth.

🔎 Our Take

1. Edtech (Education Technology) is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world especially since a lot of traditional educational means have had to move online. However, most investment going into this space is pushed into hard sales than say improving the curriculum. Eventually, all these fast-growing industries will see the government, or public opinion shift, much like how the gig economy, ride-sharing, and e-commerce companies are increasingly under government review globally.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• If you know anyone with kids in the school-going age, warn them to keep an eye out for aggressive sales tactics and emotional blackmail. There are always other options available (e.g. Khan Academy)

2. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, recently announced that they will embark on a “metaverse” journey. This means building a virtual online platform where users can interact with each other in some form of 3D virtual reality.

🔎 Our Take

• Mark is likely giving investors another big vague goal to move the company forward and bring into the limelight some validation for the so-far quiet $2Bn Oculus Virtual Reality 2014 acquisition. We do expect at some point, Facebook, Apple and various gaming companies competing for your eyes, in the way smartwatches compete for your wrist now, but we are still a few years away.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Facebook’s operating model relies on addicting users further and then charging businesses for that tiny slice of attention in the form of ads. Avoid sucked into it by diversifying your presence online, with email newsletters, a regularly updated website and potentially your own app.

3. India’s e-Rupi is announced as a small-ticket, person-specific way to perform one-time payments. This service is officially supported by all the major banks in India, with the first application based on pre-paying for covid vaccination.

🔎 Our Take

•  The e-Rupi comes at a good time where Digital payments and digital transactions are increasingly becoming a part of the day to day life. Such mechanisms could become a new form of ‘cash’ that’s printable but still traceable and remotely expirable. This could inspire some new creative financial workflows including manipulating inflation on a granular level.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Consumers are increasingly getting used to QR codes as a way of life. Explore ways to capitalise on this from placing QR codes in person for new bookings, special menus, or QR codes directly leading to Google Reviews.

Jargon Buster

• AR - Augmented Reality - when you hold up your phone or tablet and you can see something 3D on the screen, but it appears like it is part of the real world.

• Some examples of AR include the popular Pokemon Go game (which shows animated pokemon creatures walking around the city) and the IKEA app (which allows you to virtually place furniture, like tables and chairs, in your rooms)

Dear QTBees,

One of the biggest challenges in leading a team of people is learning how to let go of things. For nearly everything you think you can do, you can find somebody else who can do it far more efficiently and effectively, because they might just be the expert in that one thing.

Your value as a business leader would be to be able to see the bigger picture and connect the dots that no one individual in your team can do. Learn to trust your team or partners so that they can deliver the individual pieces of what you need and appreciate their trust in you to be able to see the bigger picture and guide them in the right direction.

Doing this successfully is one of the important tenants of running a business successfully, as frankly even I have learnt much later than I should have.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Pegasus Software used by governments to spy on 50k people

2. Zoom video conference launches App marketplace

3. Edtech company Byju spends $500Mn to acqui-enter US market and more

The Takeaways

1. NSO Group, the maker of Pegasus hacking software, was found to have helped hack into the phones of at least 50,000 people, since at least 2016. The leaked list includes the phone numbers of many well-known journalists, government officials and business executives. Pegasus uses 0-day* vulnerabilities in iPhone and Android phones that can be remotely activated.

🔎 Our Take

1. Given enough resources, and time, anything can be hacked. Governments are increasing developing (or paying for) cyber warfare skills starting from data gathering (like the Pegasus hacks) to full sabotage (such as taking down critical infrastructure). There are likely hundreds more large scale hacking efforts which don’t make it to the news.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Unless you are in your government’s focus for political reasons, you are not worth spending at least an estimated $500,000 just for set up by Pegasus. Don’t let the hype about this distract you from easier ways to hack your phone, like learning the passcode that you have been reusing for the past 3 years.

2. Zoom launched an apps marketplace, allowing third parties to integrate within Zoom meetings.

🔎 Our Take

• Zoom launched into the public domain with the right product at the right time, making video conferencing simple and reliable for groups. However, until recently, Zoom was really only about meeting and sharing screens. With the new apps, Zoom adds much needed additional functionality such as games, quizzes and more. We expect Zoom to work on further integrations to become part of a productivity or entertainment ecosystem.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• If you have only ever been selling or providing a single service, then consider diversifying via partnerships to offer more end to end value to your customers.

3. Edtech Company Byju’s acquires US-based Epic, an online reading platform for children, spending $500Mn. Byju’s also acquired Great Learning and Toppr, based in India for $600Mn and $150Mn respectively, all 3 made public this week.

🔎 Our Take

• Byju’s is fueled by investors keen to own the education market and continue to exploit parent’s sentiments towards providing any and all advantages to their children. These acquisitions expand Byju’s coverage of the education market by Age and Area: (1) Epic offers a reach of 90% of elementary schools in the US, (2) Great Learning adds ‘Upskilling/Reskilling’ focused on professionals (3) Toppr offering a school management system and a popular app with young kids below 12.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Take stock of your existing offerings vs where your brand or mission lies. Consider bringing in partners, hiring people or even acquiring companies that could fit organically to this mission, and offer even more value to your new and existing clients.

Jargon Buster

• 0-Day (“Zero Day”) - This refers to active security vulnerabilities with no patch or way of protecting yourself. Technology vendors continuously aim to roll out updates, but there is usually a few days or weeks gaps between when a zero-day exploit is discovered to when its updated in a majority of systems.

Dear QTBees,

Olympics is in the air! With Tokyo 2020* underway, and Brisbane (hey fellow Brisbanites!) announced for the 2032 Olympics, there’s a lot going on.

What strikes me though is watching sports scenes and records from 50-100 years ago vs today. Things that were considered impossible (4-minute mile run, Yurchenko double pike, 10Km in 30 minutes) were revered, anticipated, and then broken. Now humans look to breaking the next impossible thing.

So keep looking up. Todays ‘impossible’ is likely to be tomorrows ‘been there, done that’.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Microsoft launches Windows 365, your PC on the cloud

2. Xiaomi takes over Apple as global #2 mobile phone vendor

3. Netflix to launch Gaming by 2022

The Takeaways

1. Microsoft launched Windows 365, an offering for businesses where Windows Operating System runs on a cloud server and can be interacted with on any device. The subscription-based services will start in August.

🔎 Our Take

• As computing gets more and more powerful, and internet speeds get faster, we are getting to a point where your personal computer (with the operating system and all apps running on it) could be running on a cloud server and stream to you like a Netflix movie. Microsoft is building on its cloud capabilities and its own Windows OS development to offer this as a logical next step.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Over time it will become normal for your entire workflow to follow you, and instantly accessible no matter which device you are on. For now, ensure that you are using cloud syncing tools (such as OneDrive Sync or Google Drive sync) to ensure your data is never dependently on 1 laptop or hard disk.

2. Xiaomi, recently took over Apple for the #2 market share by shipments, currently at 17%, in the recent quarter. Only Samsung is ahead at #1, and has a 19% market share by shipments.

🔎 Our Take

• While most of the media focus on Xiaomi overtaking Apple, Apple has never been about getting market share aggressively. Instead, Apple uses extreme economies of scale (the same body, same design, same hardware for years) to keep profits high. Xiaomi, on the other hand, has nearly every permutation of product category from ad subsidised ultra-cheap versions to cutting edge flagship models. Xiaomi also appears to have better capitalised on the void left by Huawei, which is practically landlocked to China now.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Figure out your brand’s positioning, and ensure that your products (and pricing strategy) follow it. Lower price points can give bigger volume (and more revenue, like Samsung and Xiaomi), while higher prices can give higher profits (for less revenue, like Apple)

3. Netflix now has a dedicated Gaming division, after recently hiring a former EA Games and Zynga executive.

🔎 Our Take

• Netflix has a large collection of unique stories in movie and TV formats and has a lot of data on what audiences are enjoying. All major movie franchises such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc have had successful gaming releases, offering fans new experiences within the established worlds, and extracting even more value from the stories. Netflix could be following Apple Arcade-style ‘small quantity, but higher quality, making use of their leadership in streaming direct to homes.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Taking your company stories across to a new media offers a new way for your customers to engage with you. Think about logical extensions of your product experiences, perhaps an app, a podcast, a book, or something else altogether.

Jargon Buster

• Deepfake - these are fake videos created to impersonate someone, by overlaying the face of the victim on top of another video. These are called Deep fakes because of the ‘Deep learning’ process of matching learning used to adapt all angles of the victim’s face onto the target base video, to create a very realistic fake.

Dear QTBees,

Framing how you see things is important. When I see something I come across I don't know, I mentally (or even verbally) note “TIL” - meaning’ Today I Learnt’.

In this way, it’s not the usual “I didn’t know that” - a negative take looking into the paste. When you say “TIL”, you’re indicating a more forward-looking sense of accomplishment.

So keep an out for any good TIL’s. And share them with others to give them a TIL too.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Nextdoor, the local social network goes public at $4.3Bn

2. Yahoo Japan branding sold for life, worth $1.6 Bn

3. Didi, China’s Uber, blocked in China after US listing

The Takeaways

1. Nextdoor is a hyper-local social networking app that allows you to connect with people within a few kilometres around you. Nexdoor is going public at $4.3Bn, after 10 years in the making.

🔎 Our Take

1. Local social networking is seeing a surge, thanks to COVID changing circumstances locally (such as lockdowns and restrictions on travel). Facebook is also investing in a new feature called “Neighborhoods”, aiming to connect people within a smaller radius.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Local is the new social. Check out upcoming localised platforms to reach out to prospective customers, or friends. Keep in mind people expect more authenticity.

2. A perpetual license to the brand Yahoo! Japan has been acquired by SoftBank Group for $1.65Bn. Yahoo! brand sites still make up the 4 out of top 10 sites in Japan, with Yahoo! homepage bringing in the same number of users as Youtube.

🔎 Our Take

• Yahoo! used to be the #1 website in the world, more popular than Google. Over time though, it has seen its popularity wane, and it is famous for missing out on licensing Google for $1mn, or even buying up Facebook for $1.1Bn. Yahoo! still retains a strong value in Japan by providing highly localised information such as weather, Q&A, and local news. Ongoing local updates make Yahoo! Japan a more useful portal than Google Japan.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Your business would often meet a range of customers, but your real fans might not be the ones you expect. Take a look at where you are seeing a small but passionate base, take time to understand why, and invest more into growing in that space.

3. Didi Chuxing, which dominates 90% of the ride-hailing market in China, recently listed in on NYSE, raising $4.4Bn. The next day, China launched an investigation into the ‘security of Didi, and then officially requested the apps be taken down.

🔎 Our Take

•  China has been going after their largest technology companies, realising that some of them have become so large that they have the ability to influence people significantly. Globally, big tech companies are under increasing review in many countries for their monopolistic tendencies, misuse of customer data and not doing enough to control misinformation.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• We live in a society, with increased demands for data privacy and security. If you handle customer data, ensure that you have sufficient safeguards. Don’t forget to delete old data you no longer need. If you don’t need them, why do you have them.

Jargon Buster

• Neobank: this refers to an Online-Only bank, i.e. a bank without any physical branches. A neobank usually has the license to issue credit cards and sometimes loans, often at better pricing compared to traditional banks.

Dear QTBees,

I came across a dialogue that went something like “You can hate it, you can love it, you can hate that you love it… [but people will still buy it]”.

It’s been resonating with me because no matter what you do, there will be someone who hates (or might just be jealous of) what you are doing, even though what you are doing is actually good.

Ignore them. You do you. Because you can, and you know you love it.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to be beaten to space by Virgin.

2. 700 Million User profiles leaked from LinkedIn

3. Facebook hits $1 trillion value after recent anti-monopoly court win

The Takeaways

1. Virgin Galactic, a space flight company, announced that its billionaire founder Richard Branson would be flying to space on July 11th. This news came hours after Jeff Bezos, fellow Billionaire founder of Amazon announced that he would be flying to space on July 20th.

🔎 Our Take

1. Jeff Bezos got global attention on the announcement of his plan to go to space. The familiarity of his name and his company Amazon makes the stakes of the Space Flight already interesting, but a ‘Space Race Between Billionaires’ makes it fascinating. Richard Branson knows the power of publicity, which makes the timing of the announcement feel deliberate.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• People love a competition to follow. If appropriate, talk up your brand as a race, to give your fans something to cheer on for.

2. A hacker has listed a package of 700 million profiles scraped from LinkedIn. This dataset is said to contain names, mobile numbers, and physical addresses of 95% of LinkedIn. LinkedIn faced a 500 million account leak in April, but this time they said there was no actual private data theft.

🔎 Our Take

• Individually one profile isn’t much, but collectively, the emails and mobile numbers lists are valuable, especially for spammers and scammers. Every time a big contact list gets leaked, we can expect spam emails to rise and even more targeted phishing attempts.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Don’t post anything on the internet you don’t want a stranger on the street to see. Even if that information isn’t particularly sensitive, it could be used in identity theft or social engineering.

3. A US Court dismissed a complaint on Facebook from the Federal Trade Commission that Facebook and its Instagram acquisition made it a monopoly in the Personal Social Networking Services market. The Court dismissed it as there was no evidence of monopolistic behavior other than a 60% market share. Shortly after the ruling, Facebook hit a $1 Trillion market value, making it the fifth US company to reach that milestone.

🔎 Our Take

• Facebook enjoys a Network Effect - the more people that are on it, the more valuable it becomes to everyone else on the network. However, it does remain constantly challenged by other platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and also general social media fatigue. One real risk with Facebook’s dominance is its need to make it as addictive as possible, to keep its ~20% share of the global online ad market.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Use the network effort to your advantage. Connect people in your network to others in your network to increase the value of yourself. Become a platform that adds value to everyone who knows you, through you.

Jargon Buster

• Phishing - A scam page or link that is designed to copy a trusted website with the specific aim of getting people to type in their real credentials. With data leaks from social networks, phishing attempts can get more realistic, so be extra careful when clicking any unexpected emails.

Dear QTBees,

You are amazing. Somehow, you’ve made it through ups and downs, hard work, silent days and nights, and well, clearly, you’re reading this now. There’s still a lot more work to do, but don’t forget to acknowledge your path until today.

Share your journey so that it can be an inspiration to someone else. You might even be surprised at the impact your story can make on someone else.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Microsoft launched Windows 11 with Android app support

2. Jio and Google to launch “Ultra-Cheap” smartphone

3. $3.6 Billion in Bitcoin Stolen in South Africa

The Takeaways

1. Microsoft launches Windows 11, with a fresh glass style user interface, performance improvements, and support for Android apps. Microsoft partnered with Amazon to bring their Android store to Windows.

🔎 Our Take

• Microsoft has been positioning itself as the Anti-Apple, as Apple has recently been in the US Supreme court defending its policy against opening up iOS to 3rd party app stores. By partnering with Amazon, Microsoft avoids ringing the same alarms as Apple, while also instantly getting access to a modestly large Android app store ecosystem. The ability to install Android apps also helps Windows compete directly with Google’s Chromebooks, increasing Window’s attractiveness

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Build partnerships, even with potential competitors. Today’s competitor might be tomorrow’s powerful ally.

2. India’s top mobile telco, Reliance Jio, announced a partnership with Google to launch JioPhone Next, a new “ultra-cheap” budget smartphone. Google said the JioPhone Next would run an optimised version of Android. The specs and cost are to be announced in September 2021.

🔎 Our Take

• A low-cost smartphone would unlock millions of potential new users, with over 300 million users in India still using 2G on cheap feature phones. With Google’s track record of good performance on limited hardware and Jio’s scale, they could even offer the phone at a loss. The main objective would be to get customers onto Jio’s ecosystem of services including Jio mobile services, including streaming, movies, and many more in the future.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Find a product or service you can deliver at scale, and make it as affordable as possible (if not free). Use this to get customers onto all your other services that you (or your partners) can deliver.

3. An alleged $3.6 Billion in Bitcoin was stolen from the bitcoin exchange Africrypt, in South Africa. This would be the largest single cryptocurrency loss in history. Africrypt is run by two young brothers, who initially went into hiding, and now deny that they stole it.

🔎 Our Take

• With the growth and hype of Cryptocurrency, there are more scams than actual cryptos. It can be very easy to get caught up in the hype of bitcoin. While the cryptocurrency is a decentralised network whose value can go in any direction, the platform you use to trade crypto would need a real company with humans operating it, prone to mistakes, or malice.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Do your research into the crypto platform you use to avoid a fly-by-night situation. Also, you can move the keys to a physical disk or ‘crypto wallet’ so that a server hack doesn’t cause you to lose your coin. Be extremely careful though, to never forget the password or lose that disk.

Jargon Buster

• APK - Android Package - This is the application file used by Android, like the .EXE executable file used in Windows.

• With the upcoming Windows 11, .apk based Android apps like Instagram, Tiktok, and Android games will also be supported on desktops along with .exe

Dear QTBees,

When moving in a fast-paced environment and working with people, always helps to provide context. Even if it takes a minute or two longer, providing context gets everyone up to speed and get on to work easily. Be generous in providing context as that usually leads to the best output from those receiving it.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Google brings Chat, Meet, and a new “Spaces” to free Gmail accounts

2. Spotify copies competitor Clubhouse feature in a new “Greenroom”

3. Shein, a Chinese shopping app, overtakes Amazon Fashion with $10Bn revenue

The Takeaways

1. Google brings paid features such as Workspace, Chat, video Meet to everyone who has a free Gmail account. This also integrates Chat better into other tools like Google Sheets.

🔎 Our Take

• The way we work is changing, and Google knows this. We now expect faster collaboration within small teams, easy access to video conferencing and sharing documents. Microsoft and Apple are also building more ‘social’ features into documents, reflecting real-life interactions on the same documents.

• Google has a terrible track record with trying different communication tools, having failed with 2 social networks and at least 5 messaging apps.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Collaboration tools are rapidly evolving. Working with cloud-based files offers many benefits now (multiple editors, Single source of truth, history of revisions, and offline mode if you need). Think twice before you attach that next .docx.

2. Spotify, the music streaming company, launched a new feature “Greenroom”, replicating the ‘live audio conference’ feature made popular by the Clubhouse app.

🔎 Our Take

• Spotify started its journey in making music accessible to all with its free ad-supported music. It then added Podcasts with spoken broadcasts, with a strategy to pay for celebrities for exclusive sessions on Spotify. However, this was all one way from speaker to audience. Now, by ‘borrowing’ this feature of a live audio conference, Spotify enables creators to connect with fans, offering an advantage over competitors such as Apple Music.

• Clubhouse is a single feature app waiting to be acquired or die, as other major companies add their major feature into own app. Facebook is already testing ‘Live Audio Rooms’ in the US.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Borrow good ideas where it makes sense. The tech industry almost expects that when one company rolls out a feature, that all others will bring in a version similar to that. Figure out how to make it happen.

3. Shein, the Chinese shopping app tripled to over $10Bn last year and has been the #1 e-commerce app in the US for the past 150+ days. Shein takes trends from TikTok and Instagram and can create a cheaper version ready to order online within 2 weeks.

🔎 Our Take

•  If Zara and H&M pioneered “Fast Fashion” - being able to respond within weeks instead of seasonal months, then Shein is an example of “Ultra-Fast Fashion”. Shein appears to be sharing real-time data with their suppliers to give them a heads up, and actively monitoring trends across the internet.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• People now expect to be able to purchase what they see, near instantly. Give your partners a heads up when you see something on the horizon or going viral so that you collectively can react faster than your competition.

Jargon Buster

• BNPL - Buy Now Pay Later - These are the online systems that allow you to take purchase items online and pay it over say 4 instalments over the next few weeks. BNPL companies are effectively lending companies, creating micro loans for that 1 purchase.

Dear QTBees,

My sister got married this weekend. I look forward to your best wishes. : )

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. FBI operated a fake messaging app to capture 800 criminals.

2. World-first country to make Bitcoin legal tender: El Salvador

3. 1 customer causes a global internet outage.

The Takeaways

1. The FBI managed to take over a ‘secure’ chat network connecting over 12,000 devices used by 300 criminal syndicates in 100 countries. After 3 years of tapping in, over 9,000 police offices made over 800 arrests globally, and hundreds of millions in drugs and stolen assets.

🔎 Our Take

• The FBI managed to get the original developer to add the backdoor, which was a rare opportunity to listen in on criminal networks. This also shows that the weakest link in a secure system is often one or two people.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Privacy is a myth. Even if you aren’t a criminal mastermind, assume that everything you do online will leave some electronic trace.

2. El Salvador becomes the first country in the world to make Bitcoin mandatory legal tender. All businesses and banks must accept Bitcoin, in addition to cash and USD, and no capital gains tax is paid to transfer Bitcoin to USD.

🔎 Our Take

• El Salvador GDP is 20% made of incoming transfers from other countries. This is less about bitcoin and more about making it easy to transfer money from overseas. However, it offers legitimacy that other countries (especially developing ones) could be inspired by, and help reduce the dependency on USD.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Make it easy for clients to pay you. And if you don’t mind the volatility (but want a good marketing talking point), consider bitcoin or ethereum, though cashing out may be expensive (for now).

3. Fastly, a CDN*, was misconfigured by 1 customer, which then took down thousands of major websites. This impacted sites such as Amazon, Ebay, Reddit, PayPal, Spotify, Pinterest, Github and many government websites. The issue was resolved within an hour.

🔎 Our Take

•  This issue showcased how impressive Fastly’s customer base actually is (which raised the stock price after the issue was resolved), but also exposed how vulnerable the internet really is, with few large players operating most of the internet. We expect such outages every now and then, though quick enough to repair.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• If your business relies on the internet to speak to customers, ensure you have communication backups that customers can reach out to you on. Ensure you mention these options across all channels before one or more of them break.

Jargon Buster

• *CDN: Content Delivery Network: a global network of servers that allow visitors from across the world to access a copy of the images, texts and videos from a server close to them.

• For example, when you visit google.com, it is actually connecting to a CDN server that’s likely near your city, instead of a ‘main server’ at Google HQ in the US.

Dear QTBees,

When most of your life goes into doing some work or the other, it is important that you get the best tools for the work you do. It’s the small things that allow you to not worry about the tool, and stay focused on the task at hand.

The same applies to people. When you work with good people, the best people, the kind of people you really enjoy working with, then it allows you to get more done.

Find your people, get stuff done.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Prosus acquires Stack Overflow tech learning community for $1.8 Bn

2. Twitter launches ‘Twitter Blue’, the first paid social media subscription

3. Antivirus maker Norton Adds Cryptomining Mining feature

The Takeaways

1. Stack Overflow, the programming focused learning and online community platform was acquired by Prosus Investments for $1.8Bn. Prosus is one of Europe’s largest tech investment companies, famous for its early major investment in Tencent, the Chinese internet and gaming giant.

🔎 Our Take

• This acquisition follows Prosus’ investments in Udemy and Codecademy, other large learning platforms with a focus on computer programming. Prosus has sold some investments in other maturing markets (like in China) to tap the wave of online learning and self-taught programming. With COVID permanently changing the landscape of remote work and hit on in-person schooling, online self-learning is the way of the future, and investors like Prosus know this.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Online Self-learning is the new norm. For your own company, use online manuals and online video training for new and existing employees. If your company has more than one service, ensure that your online presence teaches your clients how to get the maximum value from your company.

2. Twitter started rolling out “Twitter Blue” for $3 per month, in Australia and Canada. This service offers a few enhancements such as ‘30 second Undo’, Reader Mode for long tweets, Bookmarking mode. Twitter confirmed the Free usage will not go away.

🔎 Our Take

• Of all the major social media networks, Twitter is the first to offer any kind of paid subscription for additional services. This is the first step away from an advertising only revenue model popular with free services, though this first iteration is very limited. Platforms like Facebook have to balance the line between attracting advertisers to their platform and ensuring that there is a large userbase willing to see ads.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• As of this post, at least 12,000 users have started paying, even for the small features. Find those small little delights in your organisation and offer them up to even a smaller set of customers who are keen for more.

3. Norton, popular for its Antivirus software, now has a built-in crypto-mining feature that helps mine Ethereum, a well-known cryptocurrency. Norton will also take 15% of the gains generated by running the software on users computers.

🔎 Our Take

• After years of watching actual viruses infecting users computers and secretly start running crypto mining programs, Norton realised that there is good money to be made here. We expect other software applications to start doing the same, though what makes it interesting is the 15% cut Norton makes, which may end up even more profitable than their antivirus business.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• If you can’t beat them, join them. Look out for trends in your industry, especially disruptive ones. Bring legitimacy through your brand and offer customers a trusted place to get involved.

Jargon Buster

• Cryptomining: The process of generating cryptocurrency. In an oversimplified analogy, crypto mining generates ‘coins’ by solving mathematical puzzles. The answers to the puzzle are uploaded to the network which confirms you get the reward.

• The actual value of the reward has little to do with the solved answers and more to do with the human perception of how rare they are.

Dear QTBees,

Always be looking forward, for that is where there are opportunities to improve upon. Start each day as a reset, as a new base to launch from. There’s nothing to do then, but to succeed.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Amazon buys MGM (the James Bond film studio) for $8.45Bn

2. Microsoft built an AI-powered autocomplete for code with GPT-3

3. Vimeo, the video hosting company, goes public valued at $8.5Bn

The Takeaways

1. Amazon acquires Metro-Golden Mayor (MGM) for $8.45Bn. MGM, the 97-year-old company, has over 4,000 movie titles 17,000 hours of Tv programming.

🔎 Our Take

• Amazon has several strategic plays here. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos famously said, “When Amazon wins a Golden Globe, we sell more shoes”. So, more shows = more shoes.

• Exclusive content also drives customers. For example, Disney has been marvelously profiting from The Mandalorian TV series (based on Star Wars) and Falcon and the Winter Soldier show (base on Avengers universe) for their Disney+ Streaming service). We expect Amazon to start working on a spin-off strategy to maximize the return on the investment.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Content is King, and spin-offs could be where the money is. If you have been operating your business for a while, consider shining light more on some of the lesser-known areas of your work. These could be the next big thing, leveraging the groundwork you’ve already done.

2. Microsoft announced a GPT-3 tech based autocomplete system that allows users to type in text in normal English which converts into programming code. Microsoft looks forward to integrating this into future Microsoft tools. This allows business users to write far more complex code without learning to code.

🔎 Our Take

• While we are still some way away from code that can write itself, we are seeing various products focused on ‘programming’ in some form easier, from screen recording based Robotic-Process Automation to more recent ‘Low Code’ visual programming systems. Microsoft hopes to introduce the next step in reducing friction to create complex programming, eventually getting to the level where users can talk to a computer and see different permutations of graphs and visuals.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Generating insights from data is a hard problem to solve, but it is getting easier. Look out for dashboard tools that can help process your existing data to generate better insights to help grow your business.

3. Vimeo, a video hosting provider, went public on NASDAQ with an $8.5 market value on ~$240Mn annual revenue. Vimeo started as a side project in the entertainment company CollegeHumor, which was acquired by IAC in 2006 for $26Mn. IAC itself is a major media holding company with $3Bn revenue.

🔎 Our Take

•  Vimeo was originally created to host CollegeHumor’s own videos, and under its present CEO’s guidance, has transformed into a credible software-as-a-service for brands to host their videos in a paid, ad-free experience (compared to youtube). As video continues to grow, services like Vimeo will continue to be valuable.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Check your side projects - the itch you have solved for yourself could be equally valuable for other businesses. If it’s a service you do, consider productising it so others can access it as well.

Jargon Buster

• FinTok - Financial TikTok - a type of TikTok (and other social media platforms) influencer or channel that focuses on financial advice.

Dear QTBees,

There’s nothing like a good laugh with some old friends to get the endorphins going. That mad, side-ache-inducing laughter is great for your soul, but also your brain. The same triggers of good humor are often shared with creative innovation.

So make some jokes, generate some ideas.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Google launches hyper-personalised UI for Android phones

2. Samsung and Google merge smartwatch software to take on Apple Watch

3. Crypto crashes on rejection from Tesla, China and regulatory moves in the US

The Takeaways

1. Google held their annual developer conference online, where they announced Material You, a new design language. Material You will fully customise the Android experience based on 1 provided photo, creating unique permutations for every user.

🔎 Our Take

• One of Android’s big advantage over iOS is the degrees of customisation that it offers. The mobile phone is often integrated into each individuals identity, and by offering users a way to quickly generate a custom UI, Google sets itself apart from Apple, which only recently has offered custom icons (through a complex shortcuts workaround at the moment). 

🧁 Your Takeaway

• In an era of automated systems, Personalisation plays an important role in differentiating your product or service from others. While custom products can cost more effort, there will likely always be some premium customers who would be more than happy for that. Also, look out for systems that allow you to automate personalisation for higher conversions. 

2. Google and Samsung are merging Tizen and WearOS to create a single Smartwatch OS. The joint effort promises better battery life, a greater selection of apps, and apps with offline mode. 

🔎 Our Take

• Google had built WearOS to compete with Apple WatchOS but has struggled to make major inroads. Apple has about 40% of the smartphone marketplace, followed by Huawei at about 10% (though this is mostly just China), Samsung also around 10%, and the rest with smaller players. Huawei is still banned from working with Google, so that leaves Samsung as a logical partner. As with any platform, the more partners you have on board, the stronger the network effect helping both sides.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Check your ecosystem for synergies. Samsung realised that the Google ecosystem would help them, while Google knows that Samsung can deliver the hardware needed. In your line of business, identity logical win-win situations, and if necessary, drop what’s not working on your side.

3. Cryptocurrency value crashed to 2020 levels after a combination of Elon Musk’s Tesla no longer supporting Bitcoin, followed by China reaffirming that Crypto is not officially allowed. US government also signalled new reporting rules for bitcoin transactions above $10k.

🔎 Our Take

• Cryptocurrency value is pretty much entirely speculative, depending on what people expect it to be. Without an inherent value (such as the assets of a company if you buy stock), the next best indicator is how useful it is. While celebrity moves such as Elon Musk make waves by statements supporting (or not) crypto, one major driver is Government support (or the lack thereof). China reaffirming the ban means a major market is not allowed to access it. The US treasury seeking to track transactions also makes it less valuable for anonymous, international transactions. 

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Buying Crypto is effectively gambling, and definitely not for the faint of heart. While crypto has a technology angle to it, its value (and its volatility) is based on emotion. Only consider crypto if you can handle the waves.

Jargon Buster

• Meme-coin: Memes refer to photo or short video jokes that go viral on the internet, forming well-understood catchphrases. Meme-coins are crypto currency based on some funny element, with the original intent that they are not meant to actually be used. DogeCoin, the crypto supported by Elon Musk, is considered a meme-coin with a dog logo. DogeCoin was created in 3 hours with no expectation of its current popularity. Meme-coins are considered very high risk, high return.

Dear QTBees,

Every human goes through ups and downs. What makes are human, is our vulnerabilities. The benefit we have, as a collective, is that we can be through anything together.

Reach out to people who might need nearly nothing, but just the knowledge that you are thinking of them can make a positive impact on their day.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. US largest oil pipeline gets hacked with $5mn bitcoin ransom

2. Tesla drops Bitcoin buy option due to environmental cost

3. Facebook requested by US Attorney Generals to stop Instagram for Kids app

The Takeaways

1. The Colonial Pipeline, which supplies 45% of the US east coast's petrol, was hacked by DarkSide, a European hacker group. This shut down operations for days, severely restricting fuel supplies. Colonial paid up US$5Mn to get a decryption tool, slowly restoring operations.

🔎 Our Take

• Large companies operating critical services are a favorite hackers target because hackers know the companies will find a way to pay them. Since this hack received so much attention, the hackers requested only a US$5mn amount (though they could have easily asked for and got US$30mn). Even though they paid the money, Colonial managed to resume operations faster than the decryption tool provided by the hackers.

• We expect most such companies and all critical agencies to come under additional cybersecurity scrutiny, similar to how banks are regulated for financial risks. Even then, the very nature of technology means that preventing hackers is a non-stop activity.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Imagine a scenario where you are hacked. Think ahead to understand the impact, such as daily operations (customers transactions, keys to servers, customers contacts, inventory data), with the intention of not having to pay any ransom. Plan for alternative tools, and in the worst case, paper printouts from backups. Also, consider hacking insurance.

2. Elon Musk announced that Tesla would no longer accept Bitcoin as a payment option, due to the environmental impact. This crashed the value of Bitcoin by some 20% and boosted other ‘more environmentally friendly’ cryptos.

🔎 Our Take

• Bitcoin mining is an energy-consuming monster, with mining using up as much electricity as a large country. This means significant fossil fuels are being burnt to earn Bitcoin, which is against Telsa and Elon Musk’s environmental mission. Telsa bought $1.5Bn (now worth $2.5bn) in Bitcoin as an alternative investment. However, the nature of cryptocurrency is that there must be some cost to generate coins - if the system is too efficient, then it wouldn’t be rare and therefore wouldn’t have as much value.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Elon Musk is a mover and shaker of not only Bitcoin but almost every other cryptocurrency. Keep in mind that every time you hear bitcoin crash, it will be based on another new record high. As with any asset, real or otherwise, the value is based on what others are also willing to pay for it. And for now, and in the foreseeable future, more and more people are willing to pay for it, driving the value up.

3. Facebook was planning on an Instagram for Kids app, which would allow kids under 13 to sign up. In a letter from 44 US Attorney Generals, it was asked to stop the development of the proposal.

🔎 Our Take

• Facebook is a personal data-hungry company, as its business model relies on creating addictive applications. They also know that the earlier users get used to an app, the more they are likelier to continue using it. Various countries also restrict data gathering on children, which is something Facebook would

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Set some guidelines as a leader, of things you would not do. This will also impact your culture and give your team a clear direction of what to avoid, and likely increase respect for you.

Jargon Buster

• DeFi- Decentralised Finance - this typically refers to a cryptocurrency-based financial system, but it technically means any system where there is no central banking system or middle layer to save and handle transactions.

Dear QTBees,

Ideas can come from an unexpected place.

Try talking to people about their different interests about what they like to do, and explore those ideas in-depth, even that interest means little to you.

The world needs creative ideas, now more than ever. So get talking, for even your words might spark someone else’s creative process.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Apple vs Epic Legal Case Opens up secrets of App Stores

2. Verizon sells off AOL and Yahoo brands for $5bn, writing off $4bn

3. Tile Trackers partners with Amazon to stay relevant

The Takeaways

1. Apple vs Epic (makers of popular Fortnite game) wrapped up their first week in court. Epic claims Apple is a monopoly and is forcing a 30% cut on all transactions in a locked-down App store, hurting customers. Apple claims users have a choice, and the money keeps the system secure and safe for users.

🔎 Our Take

• Apple has an enormously profitable system with a locked-down App Store, with a $72 Billion revenue in 2020, made from being the only platform where users can buy apps for the iPhone and iPad. Apple has made concessions more recently with a 15% commission for the first $1mn, though email exhibits show that Apple has tried hard to keep big Apps, such as Netflix, to continue using In-App Purchases (and paying 30% to Apple). 

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Apple knows the value of a convenient way to pay, and that users will rarely go out of their way to get something. Netflix has managed to become an essential brand thriving outside Apple’s payment system, while Epic has failed to gather enough customer loyalty to do the same. If you are on a platform, understand that you are always at the risk of the platform’s decisions, and build up a brand to stay relevant even without it. 

2. Verizon is selling off 90% of its media division, including its brands Yahoo and AOL after acquiring both brands for a combined $9 Billion in 2015. The buyer, Apollo Global Management, is a private equity investor which primarily buys distressed assets, injecting in funds to help them grow. 

🔎 Our Take

• Verizon initially tried the approach of being an all-rounded mobile network and content provider, but soon saw their approach get pulled down by the growth of Facebook and Google. Yahoo and AOL are still known for their large content brands such as Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Finance, TechCrunch, HuffPost, etc, but they continue to be challenged by user-generated content. Hopefully, with a clear focus on growing content and ads, Yahoo will find ways to stay relevant. 

🧁 Your Takeaway

• One of the few things that make customers leave their existing platforms, is great and exclusive content. It’s often the only thing that cannot be replaced, and if done correctly, can remain a powerful draw even if competitors replicate everything else. Focus on engaging your customers with the lore of why you do what you do to keep your customers with you.

3. Tile Trackers join the Amazon SideWalk platform after Apple launched a competing AirTag product line. With Amazon’s ecosystem, Tile now gains additional smart home capabilities, as well as a wider network, adding more value to users. 

🔎 Our Take

• Tile faces a new existential threat with the launch of Apple AirTags, as the nature of lost and found trackers relies on a large network of passing devices (such as the 1 Billion iPhones around). This new partnership between Amazon and Tile allows Tile to make the millions of Amazon smart home devices as a location tracking grid as well. Ironically, this also significantly weakens Tile’s previous argument that Apple has a monopoly in this space.

• Also, based on how Amazon’s own product strategy has played out in the past, Tile could be acquired by Amazon (good for Tile), or also replaced by Amazon’s own version of Tile (bad for Tile).

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Look for partnerships you might not be expecting. There are many other businesses and others looking to grow as well, and if are operating even a small business, you likely have some network, and customer base, and a product or service. Seek out partners who can benefit from the collaboration and help each other grow. 

Jargon Buster

• S3 - Simple Storage Service - this is one of the cheapest way to store data on the Cloud, literally representing a single file accessible anywhere on the internet with a link. Amazon S3 is one of the most popular storage services, and almost every other cloud provider provides a similar compatible service.

  The nature of S3 storage also means that it can be accidentally used incorrectly, with many recent ‘data leaks’ attributed to a system uploading customers databases files without any protection.

Dear QTBees,

Life has its ups and downs, and we are all on a journey of our own. One of the few things we can pick though, is the people we work with and the mission we want to set ourselves on. 

So find your tribe, partners, allies and focus on your mission. It’s those around you that will make it worthwhile (or not). 

Stay Awesome

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Roku, the set-top box company, claims Google is strong-arming it

2. Microsoft is changing up its default Office Font and wants your help

3. Google loses its Argentina domain in a renewal failure (and got it back)

The Takeaways

1. Roku, the digital set-top box system, claims that Google is forcing it to feature YouTube more prominently to continue offering Youtube TV service from Google. Roku claims Google threatened to increase hardware specifications to increase pressure on Roku prices. Google commented on this without an explicit denial.

🔎 Our Take

• Roku is a means to an end: a hardware device similar to Google Chromecast or Apple TV, providing consumers with an easy way to make their TV Smart. Youtube TV is a digital subscription, which is the ‘end goal’ for most users, so this form of pressure is not unexpected. Roku could follow Apple’s lead in creating their original content and creating their own content. Also, this kind of strong-arming by Google is not new, with their previous tussle with Amazon over blocking Youtube on Amazon’s devices, ultimately resolved behind the scenes.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• If your business relies on others to provide value to your consumers, see that you are adding sufficient value to consumers to retain them. Consider diversifying your supplier base or investing in your own supply chain. In some cases, if you are up against a near monopoly, your recourse might be via legislation or popular backing.

2. Microsoft is changing its default Office font (presently Calibri), providing 5 options for users to try out in Office 365. The final single default will be chosen in the next few months, based on users feedback to be made default in Office 2022.

🔎 Our Take

• Given how ubiquitous Office tools are, the default font typeface subtly influences nearly all design for that era. What makes this generation of change interesting is the ability for Microsoft to conduct live tests and track usage and preferences online.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Even the best design can get dated over time. Consider switching up your look and feel. You could even make it a public contest to engage with your customers. Try A/B testing your designs if you have the budget, and keep looking for areas to tweak and optimise your virtual presence, as users preferences also constantly change.

3. Google lost control of google.co.ar when it forgot to renew it. It was bought legally by someone who redirected it to his own website. Google managed to get the domain back.

🔎 Our Take

• Despite Google being the leading web company, with a global presence, they slipped up on renewing their domain. Given that the domain often controls other services (such as your personal email), it is a pretty major gaffe.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Check on your company’s domains and ensure that you have auto-renewals set for both the domain and any SSL security configuration. Unless you are Google or have a trademark on the domain name, getting your domain name back is extremely hard.

Jargon Buster

• SSL: Secure Sockets Layer - this is a security system that makes sure that your web browsing is secure between your browser and the server. You can see this in action when you see the padlock 🔒 icon and the ‘httpS’ in your browser URL. 

  Do note that SSL is essentially a free feature now, though some domain hosts still charge for it, exploiting customers' lack of knowledge.

Dear QTBees,

If we don’t learn from the lessons of the past, we are bound to commit the same mistakes again in the future. 

Figure out what your ‘never ever’ things are, and do what is necessary to make sure it won’t happen again. 

Stay Awesome

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Automation company UiPath has 3rd largest US software IPO in history

2. Two people die in a Tesla car with no one in the driver’s seat

3. Apple launches AirTags to never lose your bags and keys

The Takeaways

1. UiPath went public at the New York Stock Exchange, valuing it at $40Bn. UiPath builds software that helps businesses automate repetitive tasks, such as filling forms, moving files, inputting data and scraping documents, all without learning any coding. 

🔎 Our Take

• UiPath solved a critical problem of being able to write automation but using screen recording and training. This represents one of the early players in no-code/low-code programming, a segment that will continue to grow in the next few years. 

🧁 Your Takeaway

• There are a lot of tools these days that can help you save significant time in things that you do. Set up automation, and invest in tools to keep your business going. If it saves you an hour or two a week, it’s probably worth it.

2. A Tesla car in Texas, US, crashed into a tree and caught on fire, killing its 2 passengers. Police confirm that “there was nobody in driver’s seat”, implying that Autopilot (Tesla’s drivers assistant system) was on.

🔎 Our Take

• Tesla Autopilot is one of the most advanced drivers assistant systems on the market, with an upcoming “Full Self Driving” functionality coming up. However, the system is still a ‘drivers assistance’ tool. Tesla does showcase that even at the present state, Autopilot is 10 times safer than without it, and getting better. In this case, however, there should have been additional systems checks to avoid drivers from turning on Autopilot and then leaving the driver’s seat.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Whenever you create a product, there is always an opportunity for users to misuse it. Never be unsurprised though, that some customers will find a way to abuse your product, harming themselves or others. Provide safety instructions, and where possible, block or disable any dangerous usage.

3. Apple recently launched several new hardware products, including a 24” Desktop all in one Mac, an upgraded iPad, and new AirTags. AirTags are a new product category for Apple, which are mini trackers for your bags and keys. 

🔎 Our Take

• Apple is known for products that work very well with one another, drawing users into the Apple ecosystem. AirTags make use of the vast network of over 1 billion iPhones globally to locate any lost AirTag quickly.  This gives it an advantage over its biggest competition, Tile, which requires users to have a Tile app installed. We expect Tile to suffer significantly, as both Apple (AirTags) and Samsung (SmartThings) now offer a similar capability, and work better with their ecosystems.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• If you are already selling products or services, see what are some complimentary products or services you can add that make use of the network effort - the more people using the system, the more value it adds to everyone else. Think communities, information sharing sessions, or referrals.

Jargon Buster

• BLE, or Bluetooth Low Energy, is the latest in Bluetooth technology, which started to get into devices like phones in the past few years. This is designed to use 1% of the energy normal Bluetooth used to take, so turning off Bluetooth to save power is not really applicable anymore

Dear QTBees,

India is in the midst of a second COVID wave, which is even worse than the first one. If nothing else, it should serve as a cautionary tale, wherever you are, of the risks of COVID, especially on how fast it can spread. 

Stay safe, stay home, and do get yourself vaccinated as soon as you get the chance to.  

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Amazon Web Services Data Center Nearly Gets Blown Up by Terrorist.

2. Microsoft acquires Healthcare Voice AI Company, being Apple’s Siri, for $20Bn.

3. Google gets caught tracking location data, even after users say no.

The Takeaways

1. The FBI arrested a US domestic terrorist after he planned to blow up an Amazon Web Services data centre in northern Virginia. Amazon Web Services powers over 30% of the internet, including favourite services such as Netflix and Airbnb. The man was arrested after he posted his plans online and attempted to buy the explosive from an undercover FBI agent.

🔎 Our Take

• As tech companies grapple their role and responsibility in creating a safe environment online, it’s still a continuous struggle between allowing free discussions and squashing misinformation. However, most big firms have been quite liberal in letting misinformation proliferate, since it was profitable to increase users no matter what. With COVID and political debates on the rise, we expect increased regulation on the responsibility of platforms, though as with anything, there will only be change if it makes financial sense.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• The cloud is just someone else’s computer. If you have a website, confirm for yourself that there is a backup copy of the website on a separate device entirely. If you host on Amazon, keep in mind that you are on the world’s most popular cloud service, meaning that attacks will be higher compared to smaller players.

2. Microsoft acquires Healthcare Voice AI company - Nuance, for USD 19.7 Billion. Nuance Communications is a market leader in speech to text, with over 10,000 clients.

🔎 Our Take

• There is a battle raging in voice AI, with Amazon and Google presently leading the way. Microsoft has their own solution called Cortana, but failed to gain significant traction. Apple has similarly struggled to advance on Siri. With this acquisition, Microsoft not only gains thousands of Healthcare clients, but also gets back into the ring with smart voice AI.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Even a top tier technology company can struggle when it comes to a particular area, particularly one such as smart voice assistants. Consider your partners who can focus on your weak areas, and either go to market with them or acquire them.

3. The Australian Federal Court finds that Google misled consumers about tracking location data. Google had the option to ‘turn off’ Location Tracking, but even with that off, another setting ‘Web & App Activity’, when left on, sent location data to Google.

🔎 Our Take

• Google is an advertising company first, and a search company second. Google, and Facebook, rely on location data to provide targeted advertising, to provide the best value to advertisers and for viewers. The flip side of this is of course privacy, where users (and increasingly, governments) expect an Informed Choice and the ability to opt out. Advertising and privacy will continue to evolve with Apple’s iOS14. Tracking blockers, and Google’s upcoming FLoC technology which Google says will help privacy while maintaining targeting.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Any time you handle customer data, you are legally the custodian of their data. Be mindful of different countries rules, but in general, give people an option to give or not give data, and give an option to delete their data if they choose.

Jargon Buster

• FLoC - Federated Learning of Cohorts - this is Google’s upcoming “Privacy Focused” Advertising technology, which tracks groups of users based on interests, instead of individuals themselves.

• Any new browser technology needs support from all browsers (Chrome, Edge, Opera, Brave, Safari), and at the moment only Chrome is driving it, though given their dominance in the market, it might become the advertising tech of the future.

Dear QTBees,

I recently upgraded my Mac Mini, switching from an 8GB to 16GB model. Despite 95% of users completely satisfied with 8GB on the M1, it was clearly a bottleneck with the minimum of dozen high demand apps I have running in parallel. I realised that the additional RAM not only made it smoother to work, but I _enjoyed_ working more, free of most lag.

If you using tools to get your work done, try to invest in things that make it easier and comfortable to get work done. A good ergonomic chair, a well positioned screen, a good keyboard and mouse goes a long way to helping you be productive, and happy. If you need any recommendations, do let me know.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. “Hello Spotify”, a new voice assistant feature launched to stay competitive

2. LG stops making mobile phones, giving up $6 Billion in revenue

3. China creates Digital Currency, the Digi Yuan, for its citizens and beyond.

The Takeaways

1. Spotify rolls out its own In-App Virtual Assistant to search for songs on iOS and Android.  Users can say “Hey Spotify” to search hands-free for songs. 

🔎 Our Take

• Spotify has a very challenging market in iOS, going up against Apple Music and Apple’s integration to Siri and the rest of the Apple ecosystem. Apple will unlikely never support Spotify search within Apple (unless legally compelled to), so Spotify needs to constantly innovate when playing in Apple’s home turf, and adding new ways to engage with the app can help.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Innovation is something customers expect. Even if they have seen the same feature elsewhere, users expect similar ‘their’ favourite app to support something they enjoy. Keep your customers regularly updated with new features and initiatives you are working on. 

2. LG, one of the largest electronics companies in the world, has announced that it is shutting down its mobile phones division from July 31, 2021.  LG Mobile Communications Company made USD 4.66 Bn revenue in 2020, representing 8.25% of their overall revenue.

🔎 Our Take

• LG has been losing money on smartphones for the past 5 years, unable to break into the top battle between Apple and Samsung. Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Oppo, One Plus and others have been aggressively going after the lower end of the market. The 2000s saw some fantastic slider phones, but LG failed to make a lasting mainstream impression with all the Android-based phones in the market. LG is still a juggernaut in electronics, so this may help focus their priorities.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Know when to call it quits. If something hasn’t been working for 5 years, its unlikely to work out now. Focus your energy on what is working, even if it means letting go of non-significant revenue

3. The People’s Bank of China has been developing a digital currency to replace physical cash and coin for its citizens. This allows for faster, cheaper transactions while allowing all transactions to be traced even closely.

🔎 Our Take

• While we don’t know exactly what the technical implementation is, it could be based on a blockchain-like system - but one that is controlled by the central bank. This also adds a competitor to the payments market dominated in China with Alipay and WeChat Pay (which together cover around 85% of all people in China) and simultaneously sets the groundwork to move away from physical notes and connection to the US Dollar.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• New payment systems emerge and become popular because they solve problems of the older payment systems, such as slow transfers, or credit. Keep an eye out how customers are paying with, and reduce all friction to allowing your customer to pay you.

Jargon Buster

• UWB - Ultra Wide Band - a technology that is designed for very low power, low range communication. This has been part of phones for the past year or so, and now with Samsung’s SmartThings launch this week and an anticipated Apple AirTags in the next few weeks, this technology will allow you to easily find those keys or wallet in your home easily.

Dear QTBees,

Life can get pretty busy, with some fire to put out or the other. Make sure that you do spend some quiet time. This not only allows your body to recharge but also, is a great time to ideate. So carve out some time, perhaps take a good walk.  And mix it up a bit - take a new route to stimulate creativity and thinking. Keep it fresh, and enjoy the air.

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Taco Bell wants customers to Chat to Buy with its latest acquisition

2. Hacker leaks 553 Million users info from Facebook - for free

3. Warehouse Robot now matches human speed in moving boxes

The Takeaways

1. Taco Bell owner Yum Brands acquires Tiktuk (that’s the correct spelling, nothing to do with Tiktok), a company specialising in Conversational Commerce. This is to offer customers the ability to order via SMS, Facebook Messenger, and other social media chat apps. 

🔎 Our Take

• Like other leaders in online ordering, such as Dominos and Starbucks, Yum Brands is focused on reducing the friction to order something. While many customers might not have a Taco Bell app installed, everyone has SMS and most people have Facebook messenger.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Reducing the friction, of customers buying from you, should be a key focus area in your business. If you have a website, enable a chatbot and a contact form. If you have a retail store, ensure you are registered on Google My Business and enabled Messaging in that. Ensure accountability for timely responses.

2. A hacker leaks Facebook 553 Million users names, phone numbers, addresses and many emails. This data is from a 2019 breach, after which Facebook had fixed the data leak. This is in the news again as a hacker has released the entire database online for free on a dark web forum

🔎 Our Take

• The size and scale of Facebook’s user base means that when some data leaks from Facebook, it leaks a lot of data. In this case, it’s a lot of contact information. Out of the 553 Million contacts, only 2.5 Million had emails on them. The value of the contacts is less about privacy concerns, with the main risks from identity theft and phishing attacks. 

🧁 Your Takeaway

• This particular data leak only exposed names, numbers and emails. Check http://haveibeenpwned.com to see if your email is listed in the leaks. It’s generally safe to assume that by now, your email and a few of your social details are floating around the internet. Keep an eye out for phishing attempts and turn on Two Factor authentication where available.

3. Boston Dynamics launches Stretch, a robot designed to help move boxes in a warehouse. Stretch is claimed to be able to move 800 boxes an hour, with battery charging allowing 8 hours of us.

🔎 Our Take

• With 80% of the world’s warehouses without any automation at all, this represents one of the harder problems to solve in warehouse automation. Companies like Amazon have been obsessed with automating warehouse work which is very labour intensive, so we expect this kind of box picker to be adopted as soon as possible.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• While this picker technology is just emerging, consider other ways to automate your business such as using a QR code tracking system to keep track of your inventory, and reduce reliance on yourself to remember where things are.

Jargon Buster

• Dark Web: The hidden internet systems that are not publically accessible.

• The internet that we normally see through our web browsers such as Chrome or Safari represents a small fraction of the entire Internet that Google can reach. Beyond this visible internet, there are some systems are not publicly available, accessible via only special software, such as ‘Tor’. Whenever we hear in the public news about a database being leaked, there’s usually dark web forums where this would have been first published. 

Dear QTBees,

I hope you are a restful, and peaceful Easter weekend. Celebrate the wins of the first quarter of 2021, and let’s look forward to the second quarter. Stay safe and eat well. 

Stay Awesome!

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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1. Microsoft wants in on Social Audio with potential $10Bn acquisition

2. Slack Direct Message - Great Idea, for more spam?

3. Intel to take on third-party manufacturing, hoping to regain its Chipmaker crown

The Takeaways

1. Discord, a company with more than 250 million users, primarily focused on video game fans, is now in talks with Microsoft to be acquired for $10Bn. Discord has the Live Social Audio functionality similar to Clubhouse, which is now becoming even more popular.

🔎 Our Take

• Social Audio seems to be having its light in the sun, on the heels of the fast growing Clubhouse app. Facebook and Slack have reportedly been working on cloning similar features, such as being able to jump into an audio meetup session. Functionally, these are similar to a long audio conference, but the single-tap-to-join experience makes it surprisingly fun and enjoyable. Microsoft (and other tech platforms) will either be copying the functionality or acquiring other platforms that do this for them.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Compared to a Video blog, video conference or a video channel, Audio is a far lower stakes format, allowing you to join in, whatever you are wearing. It also makes for easier engagement, similar to listening in on a podcast while you drive. If you work with a community, consider a regular audio only session to keep your community engaged.

2. Slack, the chatting platform recently acquired by Salesforce for $25Bn, announced a new featured called ‘Connect DMs’, which allows users to connect to anyone outside your own company via slack. Within days, Slack removed this feature as users started reporting how easy it was to send abusive messages with no ability to block them.

🔎 Our Take

• Slack (under Salesforce) needs to innovate to stay relevant, especially since Microsoft has been pushing Teams as a communications tool for businesses. While any new product launch has known issues, reversing course on a major release is a sign of not fully thinking through and planning for bad actors.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• When you are creating products or services with the idea to make it super easy, consider what negative actions are now also made super easy, especially when it gets to harassing strangers.

3. Intel announced that it will spend $20 Billion to create new factories (called ‘Chip Fabs’) in the US. These fabs will not only produce chips for Intel, but for other customers as well. This comes amidst a global Chip shortage, with car manufacturers putting cars in warehouses waiting for chips. Intel aims to be reach back to its “unquestioned CPU leadership performance” after 2024.

🔎 Our Take

• The world needs more chips, and most of them are manufactured in Taiwan, and China. The global demand for electronics has gone up significantly, putting more strain on the supply. Intel would have ample demand to supply, though it might be competing with its suppliers, TSMC and Samsung. However, in a complex multi billion dollar industry, it is common to see suppliers competing and working together with clients, e.g. Apple and Samsung both compete on phones, while Apple uses Samsung displays in their phones.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Every business needs partners to work with, and in some cases might also be competing with them in some aspect. Figure out what your strengths are and play with them, while outsourcing your weak areas. Your best customers are the ones who come to you for your strengths, so focus on those.

Jargon Buster

• ETH - short for Ether, the currency of the Ethereum blockchain network, the second most largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin.

• Ethereum has one key advantage over Bitcoin, in that it can store data in it, while Bitcoin cannot. Think of Bitcoin as physical coins you cannot write on, while Ether as a cheque where you can write a description as well. This data storage allows Ethereum to be used to buy and sell NFTs such as digital paintings, music, etc.

Dear QTBees,

One of my internal metrics is to think about “what do I do very often that I could automate”, and then usually I figure out a solution for it. This week I realised I needed to take a multi page PDF and generate .JPGs from it, so I found a script in MacOS that helped with that. I also use a few tools and shortcuts on my gaming mouse for grabbing screenshots and even extracting the text from images to be even more productive.

Try and identify the small things and put them to use. For example, bookmark your most commonly used pages at the top of your browser so you don’t have to keep typing them again and again. Use text-expanders to generate text from short codes (for example, when I type /abn, MacOS offers to replace it with my ABN number.

Those seconds and minutes add up over time. If you get that feeling that something you are doing really should have been automated, send me a message. Let’s figure it out.

Work smarter, not harder.*

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

*Except at a gym, silly.

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1. German man loses $700,000 to a Bitcoin phishing tweet

2. YouTube Shorts - TikTok Clone of a Clone?

3. UK Court makes Uber drivers classified as employees with a catch

The Takeaways

1. A man in Germany, came across a Bitcoin ‘Doubler’ phishing scheme, in a reply just after Elon Musk tweeted about a cryptocurrency. A link to him to a site where it was claimed that if you send some bitcoin, ‘Elon Musk’ would send back double. The man sent 10 Bitcoin, worth $700,000 and it was confirmed to be cashed out anonymously within a few days.

🔎 Our Take

• The ‘send us money so we can send you more money back’ is a classic scam. What makes bitcoin related scams more dangerous is that the money can be handled entirely anonymously. We can see the recipient transfer, but we cannot identify who. This is a departure from conventional banking where recipients can be traced back to an account holder, who must be a person or a registered company. 

🧁 Your Takeaway

• If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be careful in any online transaction, and be especially careful with cryptocurrency as there is no reversing these transactions unless the recipient chooses to do so. 

2. YouTube Shorts launches in the US and select countries. Shorts brings some of the features that made TikTok so popular, such as short 15 second clips, a super simple way to make your own fun clips on top of existing music, and an easy way to flip from one clip to another. 

🔎 Our Take

• While YouTube is the most visited video site in the world, it still is heavily focused on medium to long videos and misses a social vibe. This ‘copying’ of TikTok is nothing new, as most of the tech industry is based on taking existing ideas, and packaging them better than competition. TikTok itself evolved from Douyin, a Chinese social video app.  We expect the TikTok style of content to become more and more prevalent, as we also see Netflix also introducing vertical short clips on their apps.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Clever packaging of good ideas is often more effective (and profitable) than an original idea. Consider how to take some popular and trending ideas, and packaging them in a way that clients can consume them. Also, focus on the mobile experience, including your website, apps and social media content.

3. The UK Supreme Court ruled that Uber drivers are entitled to work benefits, including minimum wage and a pension. However, this only applies when drivers have an active gig (starting from when a request is confirmed to drop off), and it does not include Uber Eats delivery people. 

🔎 Our Take

• Uber opened up an entirely new way of working, leveraging its technology stack to significantly dent the more established taxi industry, while also making getting from point A to point B as easy as a tap on your phone. There are few company names that are now English verbs. This ruling could impact all other markets, potentially providing increasing stability to workers in the gig economy as a whole. On the flip side, this could also accelerate the demand for self-driving vehicles as costs go up.

🧁 Your Takeaway

• Uber made it big by being a platform that connects drivers to work and commuters to transport in minutes, and then focused on making that experience as smooth as possible. Most business are micro platforms, connecting suppliers to customers, with some value added in between (curation, creation, location, etc). Consider how smooth your customers experience And suppliers experience is so that you can scale up faster and benefit both sides.

Jargon Buster

• QR codes- Quick Response codes - These are the square black and white patterns you use to check-in with your phone, or make payments. QR codes were first designed in 1994 in Japan for the automotive industry. QRs can be used to store some text, some data, or a website link as many of us familiar with now.

• Google Chrome browser now has a built in functionality to generate QR codes for any website, so please never pay to get a few QR codes generated. Simply right click on any site and click ‘Generate QR for this page’ to download the image.

Dear QTBees,

I was reminded this week of my usual mantra of “Find your balance”, which I missed applying to myself by missing a few meals. Thanks to my teammates who picked up on that, while they themselves are going through their own physical conditions. 

In any case, this is a gentle reminder to everyone to stay hydrated, eat well, and rest up. The world will keep spinning, but you’ve got to keep yourself going too. 

Find your balance.

Vishal
Founder & Director
Quantana

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