Trusting Social Media, “Big Tech” to Police Itself. Not. Fran Lebowitz: I met [Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey], and I told him that [people were impersonating me on Twitter]. And I said, “you have to fix this because it’s not fair that someone pretends to be me, and people are talking to this person or tweeting...Read More
Share Price Heaven [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] Before I got religion on Amazon, you could say I was an “Amazon atheist” (or at least, an “Amazon...Read More
What Would Teddy Tweet? [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced.] Would 26th President (“walk softly and carry a big stick”) Teddy Roosevelt have tweeted? Put it this way: I’m pretty sure that a guy who, after being...Read More
First Rental Cars, Now Hotels Consolidate It’s been awhile since I studied Anti-Trust in law school, but it sure looks to me like a couple consumer-oriented industries are getting awfully concentrated. And I’m not just talking about airlines and cable companies. The latest example of “the urge to merge”: Marriott Hotels gobbling up competitor Starwood...Read More
Apple’s “Build or Buy” Decision on Autos Maybe the maker of the “people’s computer” should buy the maker of the “people’s car” (Volkswagen’s English translation). I can think of four reasons why that would be a brilliant move for Apple — and a public relations coup for VW — in the wake of the latter’s diesel...Read More
The World’s Biggest Non-Profit (or is that, “No-Profit For-Profit?) “Pred·a·to·ry pric·ing” (noun): pricing of goods or services at such a low level that other suppliers cannot compete and are forced to leave the market. –Wikipedia “Meager as Amazon’s 2013 profits were, they represented a small improvement from 2012, when it actually lost money. Even with the...Read More
