Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Tech Strategy Podcast

This week’s podcast is about iQIYI's 3 big moves in tech. Specifically offering video production capabilities as a service. And shifting towards a platform business model.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to Agentic Org Now.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

 -------

I am a founder, consultant and keynote speaker specialized in digital and AI agentic strategy.

I am the founder of Agentic Org Now, a firm that helps leadership teams launch AI and agentic initiatives fast.

I write (a lot) about digital and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). You can get a free book at the email sign-up below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital and AI businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about JD’s big moves in robotics and embodied AI. Specifically JoyAI and JoyInside.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to Agentic Org Now.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are some photos from JD's exhibit at the World Robotics Conference.

• JD’s JoyAI and JoyInside Are a Smarter Bet Than Building Humanoid Robots (1 of 3) (Tech Strategy)

-------

I am a founder, consultant and keynote speaker specialized in digital and AI agentic strategy.

I am the founder of Agentic Org Now, a firm that helps leadership teams launch AI and agentic initiatives fast.

I write (a lot) about digital and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). You can get a free book at the email sign-up below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital and AI businesses.

Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about JD's new home furniture retail store 101HOME.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to Agentic Org Now.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are some photos from 101HOME.

Here are the mentioned articles:

• Why JD.com Built 101HOME: The Case for Experiential Furniture Retail (1 of 2) (Tech Strategy)
• Lessons in Competitive Advantage from My Visit to Warren Buffett’s Nebraska Furniture Mart (Tech Strategy)
• What Is Great Digital Strategy for Furniture Retail? My Visit to the JD-Qumei in China (1 of 2)

 -------

I am a founder, consultant and keynote speaker specialized in digital and AI agentic strategy.

I am the founder of Agentic Org Now, a firm that helps leadership teams launch AI and agentic initiatives fast.

I write (a lot) about digital and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). You can get a free book at the email sign-up below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital and AI businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about the recent Alibaba Ecommerce Training Program - and our trip to Alibaba HQ in Hangzhou.

I outlined two companies visits:

• Geely / Zeekr
• DEEP Robotics
• Plus a little about Fly Zoo Hotel.

I outlined two useful tools:

• QwenWork
• Accio and Aidge.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are the articles with all the photos and videos:

• Day 1 of Our Alibaba Ecommerce Training Program: Visiting Geely / Zeekr (1 of 5) (Tech Strategy)
• Day 1 of Our Alibaba Ecommerce Program: Touring DEEP Robotics (2 of 5) (Tech Strategy)
• Day 4 of Our Alibaba Ecommerce Program: Accio, QwenWork and Fly Zoo Hotel (5 of 5) (Tech Strategy)

Disclosure. I have had a education partnership with Alibaba within the past twelve months. 

 --------

I am a founder, consultant and keynote speaker specialized in digital and AI agentic strategy.

I am the founder of Agentic Org Now, a firm that helps leadership teams launch AI and agentic initiatives fast.

I write (a lot) about digital and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). You can get a free book at the email sign-up below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital and AI businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about my recent tour to Hangzhou and Alibaba headquarters. And my 3 take-aways from the epicenter of ecommerce meets AI and agents.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

My big take-aways are:

1. Agentic Commerce Is Now an Arms Race
   1. Everyone needs to upgrade their capabilities with AI and agents to stay competitive.
   2. And then repeat.
   3. And repeat again.
2. Human KOLs and Content Creators Have Already Peaked.
   1. Livestreaming is already shifting to digital avatars. Other content creator types will follow.
   2. The future of content creation and KOLs is mostly not-human.
3. Digital Livestreamers Have Arrived in Ecommerce. Entertainment and Thought Leaders Are Next.

My playbook for human content creators / KOLs is:

• Focus on topics where being human matters:
  • Taste and curation. What wine is better vs. what laptop is better.
  • Irreversible and/or critical decisions. Situations where you can't do it over and judgement matters.
  • There is an advancing frontier of knowledge. There is no existing online database of expertise. Think new AI tools, not history.
• Use a multi-format approach:
  • Focus on building personal relationships. Such as in communities and events. Both online and offline.
  • Make your content super authentic. Ideally videos instead of text or voice. Make it clear this is a human.
  • Deploy an avatar army. Your solo content is not enough. You need an army creating content 24/7. This can be clones of yourself or similar personas.

The mentioned photos are here.

 Disclosure. I have had a education partnership with Alibaba within the past twelve months. 

-------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about WorkBuddy, Tencent's flagship Agent product. It is currently going international. And will likely be followed by Tencent's other "buddy" products:

• CodeBuddy
• Toast
• Marvis
• Ardot
• Miora
• ima Copilot

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Disclosure. I have had a paid consulting relationship with Tencent in the past twelve months.

-------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about the robot-native network Huawei and China Unicom built for the World Humanoid Robot Games (WHRG) in Beijing.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Disclosure. I have had a paid consulting relationship with Huawei in the past twelve months.

-----------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about Unitree, which is about to go public.

Plus, there is a quick intro to Tencent's Robot Brain (Tairos).

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are my 5 take-aways:

1. A good growth story in robodogs and humanoids. Rapid growth. Highly diversified. In both product categories.
2. Unitree has frontier-level expertise in robot bodies and agility.
3. Unitree was late to embodied AI capabilities.
4. The hands don’t appear advanced. Only 10 DoF?
5. Operationally, Unitree is still a relatively small company
   1. 516 FTEs, versus 1,500 at Agibot

Disclosure. I have had a paid consulting relationship with Tencent in the past twelve months.

-----------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about Shein, which is about to go public. 

It has had a lot of success as a specialist in cross-border fashion ecommerce. But it needs to move beyond this going forward. 

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are my 5 questions (thus far) for assessing the viability of a specialty ecommerce company.

1. Is the company sufficiently differentiated in the user experience?
2. Can the company compete and/or differentiate in logistics or infrastructure without ongoing spending?
3. Does the company have a strong competitive advantage in a circumscribed market? No
4. Is there a clear path to significant operational cash flow?
5. Has the company avoided markets and situations that are attractive or strategic for the major ecommerce companies?

I spoke about this in a past podcast. 

• Early Etsy Was a Great Example of Specialty Ecommerce. But Things Are Changing. (1 of 3) (Tech Strategy)

The future of Shein depends on what business you think Shein is in:

1. Connecting China manufacturers with foreign consumers. 
   1. China manufacturing gets you low cost and big variety. 
2. Ultra fast fashion.
   1. This is about speed and flexible production. Test, learn, restock.
3. Digital-first fashion. This is a compelling future position.

 ---------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about rising robot companies that I have found compelling. That have clear use cases that scale. And that have indications of competitive advantages. They are:

• AgiBot (discussed in last podcast)
• Galbot
• Booster Robotics
• DEEP Robotics

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

 ----------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about AgiBot, a fast rising full stack robot business in Shanghai.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Why I like AgiBot:

• Has rapidly expanded into a full suite of robots
• Going after all the humanoid industries and use cases
• Building an almost full AI tech stack. Everything except chips.
• Founded and run by Huawei executives. Moving very fast.
• A good strategy. It appears similar to Huawei.
  • AgiBot’s strategy is to flood the market with affordable humanoids while growing the entire ecosystem with open datasets and open models. They are scaling fast in manufacturing, usage and training.
  • They mass-produce the hardware at scale so thousands of identical robots can collect real-world data in homes and factories.
  • At the same time they open-source the entire stack: the million-trajectory AgiBot World dataset, the GO-1 foundation model, the training tools, and the GenieSim simulation twin—so researchers and developers can build skills and applications on top without paying anything.
  • AgiBot’s affordable humanoid platform as infrastructure. Hardware sales and ecosystem services become the revenue, not software licensing.
• Now in the top 1-2 in humanoid sales.
  • AgiBot shipped approximately 5168 humanoid units in 2025.

 ---------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about my visit to WAIC 2026 in Shanghai.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Take-Aways:

1. Robots and AI are converging rapidly
2.  There is a convergence of world models / building, video generation and 3D model generation
3. Tencent has a very rapid product cadence. "Choose Your Buddy" is a user-friendly approach.
4. We are seeing lots creativity and combinatorial innovation. A Cambrian explosion,

--------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about the development and launch of Meituan's LongCat 2.0 LLM. This 1.6T parameter, frontier model was trained entirely on domestic hardware. That's a big milestone.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

 ---------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about the emergence of agentic commerce. This is a big change to traditional omnichannel.

Plus, there is a bit more of a rant about the recent Anthropic and OpenAI ban. My prediction is the future of AI outside of the USA is now:

• Open source, downloadable and non-embargoable models plus
• Low cost, tech agnostic AI architecture

Which probably means China. And probably Nvidia.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

The 5 steps to get into agentic commerce are:

1. Start building a council of LLMs.
   1. This means a couple of frontier models and lots of open source (a symphony of models). The net is a composable model with a router than directs all queries. 
2. The key AI and agents need to be able to code. That is their superpower.
3. Get to the tipping point where an end-to-end workflow has agents and AI, with no humans in the loop. Then you can scale up to 100-200 agents.
   1. This means fixing the quality problems before you scale.
4. Get to the tipping point where agents create agents (an agent factory). This gest you to thousands of agents.
   1. This includes onboarding, training and oversight of agents.
5. Centralize enterprise data and context for AI and agents.
   1. You need updated centralized data that your enterprise AI can access. 
   2. A lot of data is born somewhere else. Salesforce. System of record. ERP systems.

--------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about my recent visit to the CATL headquarters in Ningde, Fujian.

Plus, there is a bit of a rant about the recent Anthropic ban. My prediction is the future of AI outside of the USA is now:

• Open source, downloadable and non-embargoable models plus
• Low cost, tech agnostic AI architecture

Which probably means China.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

-----------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about the recent S-1 IPO filing of SpaceX. It has some pretty good lessons in both AI and tech strategy.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are the 3 mentioned steps in Elon's approach (in my opinion). This is an interesting example of a Shaping Strategy.

• Step 1: Identify a huge TAM. Ideally over $1T. Ideally with a weak incumbent.
• Step 2: Solve the problem with world-class engineering.
• Step 3: Run an innovation marathon focused on rapid improvements and cost reductions. Vertical integration and repeatability are key to this.

Here is the book by Chris Zook on Repeatability.

---------

I am a consultant & keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in increasing digital growth and strengthening digital AI moats. Get in contact here.

I write (a lot) about digital growth and digital AI strategy (3 best selling books, +2.9M followers on LinkedIn). There is a free book and email newsletter below.

My Moats and Marathons book series is a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about Huawei's next products. And why they are so much more innovative than Apple.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

-------

I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and transformation.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that helps retailers, brands, and technology companies exploit digital change to grow faster, innovate better and build digital moats. Get in touch here.

My book series Moats and Marathons is one-of-a-kind framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about Huawei's AI strategy. Specifically it's "Cloud for AI" approach to hardware and infrastructure.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

—–

I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and transformation.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that helps retailers, brands, and technology companies exploit digital change to grow faster, innovate better and build digital moats. Get in touch here.

My book series Moats and Marathons is one-of-a-kind framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about Mobile World Congress 2026. And my main takeaways. Thanks to Huawei for covering my travel and hotel to attend this event. My opinions and experiences shared here are my own.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are my 5 takeaways.

1. Huawei’s Atlas 950 SuperPOD is a Shift to Massively Integrated AI Compute
2. The UnifiedBus. This is How Huawei Solves the 8,192 NPU Connection Problem
3. Building Ecosystems is the Key to US vs. China AI Cloud
4. Get Ready for Agent-Native Networks
5. AI Data Platforms are really important. It’s hard to separate KVCache / memory, data and knowledge.

--------------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Or read my Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about Huawei's new GT Runner 2 smartwatch. And their other new consumer products. These have some good strategy lessons for smart devices.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are my 3 lessons.

• Lesson 1: In wearables, Huawei is pulling ahead of the pack in screens and battery tech
• Lesson 2: "Breakthrough tech" plus "emotional resonance" is a good consumer electronics strategy
• Lesson 3: Runners are a great customer group for smart products and services

--------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about consumer electronics. And lessons I learned from Huawei's recent product event.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

4 dimensions for consumer electronics.

1. Ecosystem building.
2. Software and AI.
3. Emotional impact and resonance.
4. Tech leadership.

Cheers, Jeff

• Huawei Breaks into High Fashion with a Luxury, Jeweled Smartwatch (2 of 3) (Tech Strategy)

———

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Or read my Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about Tencent's revamped approach to AI and agents.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here is the McKinsey & Co article on arenas.

Here is what Tencent has been doing in AI and agentic products. 

1. Tencent Rebuilt Its Model Building Infrastructure
2. Tencent Kicked Things Off with the Hunyuan Hy3 Preview
3. Additional Models Are Being Developed. I’m Pretty Excited about the World Models.
4. Tencent is Accelerating the Release of New and Upgraded AI Products. And Agents (i.e., Lobsters) Are the Current Focus.

Here is my explanation:

• Pillar 1: Anchor Your AI Agent Strategy on High Value, Scalable Use Cases
• Pillar 2: Balance Aggressive Market Share Growth with Incremental Revenue Capture
• Pillar 3: Prepare for Large, Ongoing Investments and Escalating Industry Competition as the Cost of Dominating this New Economic Arena

---------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Or read my Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about 5 big, recent events in China tech.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

The five topics are:

1. New operating model: “Humans agents robots”
2. China semiconductor biz
3. Foundation models
4. It’s all about agents
5. Robots and embodied AI

 ---------------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Or read my Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about quality datasets and the context layer. Both are needed to scale agentic AI operating systems.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are my past articles on data operations:

• Data Network Effects and Data Scale Aren’t Moats (1 of 2) (Tech Strategy)
• My Playbook for Data-Empowered Operations (2 of 2) (Tech Strategy)
• The GenAI / Agentic Operating Basics (Tech Strategy)

Here is the mentioned McKinsey & Co and a16z articles.

• Building the foundations for agentic AI at scale
• Your Data Agents Need Context

--------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Or read my Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about MEDVi, the world's first +1B revenue company with only one employee. It was founded in 2024 by Michael Gallagher.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are the 5 lessons:

1. GenAI and agents are creating powerful new position as the primary user interface
2. ABCs (assistants, brokers, concierges) are going to cut off a lot of merchants and brands from buyers.
3. Human users are going to become much hard to reach. You need their eyeballs.
4. MEDVi is a good examples of the ability of GenAI to enable new types of ecommerce coordination.
5. Agent workers are a powerful organizational structure. It is going to disrupt human heavy businesses.

 ------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Or read my Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is a summary of Chapter 1 (Introduction) of my updated Moats and Marathons books.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

--------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Or read my Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about the big release of Seedance 2.0 by Bytedance.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are some videos I made (here).

Here are the winners:

1. Viewers. It's amazing. 
2. GPUs and data centers. Plus energy providers. 
3. IP holders that get lots of attention.   
4. Independent creators who will get lots attention and creative satisfaction. 
5. Business content creators - especially in ads and content. 
6. Platform biz models. Audience builders like YouTube and TikTok. Plus marketplaces like Taobao.
7. iQiyi and combinations of streaming and audience builders.
8. Netflix and pure streamers (maybe). 

Here are the losers:

1. Most professional production companies. Most tv and film studios. Basically, any business that has been relying on scale in content creation. 
2. Ad agencies focused on content creation.
3. Individuals and firms with specialized skills related to tv and film production.
4. Independent content creators trying to monetize 
5. Los Angeles?
6. Hollywood's managerial class. 
7. Political activists embedded in entertainment.

Here are my past articles / podcasts on this:

• Why ChatGPT and Generative AI Are a Mortal Threat to Disney, Netflix and Most Hollywood Studios (Tech Strategy – Podcast 150)
• How Generative AI Is Going to Disrupt YouTube and TikTok (Tech Strategy – Podcast 152). Jan 2023
• How Generative AI Services Are Disrupting Platform Business Models (1 of 2) (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)

-------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is r

Support the show

This week’s podcast is my watch list for what Alibaba is doing in AI Apps.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

I am watching:

• Qwen
• DingTalk
• Amap
• Quark

Plus,

• Accio and Aidge
• Tmall and Taobao
• Fliggy
• Youku and Wan

--------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Or read my Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is a summary of my approach to moats in digital businesses.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

---------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Or read my Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast has my take-aways from my Nov 2026 visit to Alibaba.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

The take-aways are:

1. “AI Plus Ecommerce” Is the Big Focus Domestically
2. The China Instant Commerce War Was Entertaining
3. The Instant Commerce War Strategically Important for Alibaba
4. Alibaba’s Liya and Digital KOLs Are Amazing
5. Alibaba’s “AI Plus Ecommerce” Is Going International. Definitely Try These.
   1. Accio
   2. Aidge
6. The Alibaba AI Apps I Am Watching
   1. DingTalk
   2. Quark
   3. Amap
   4. Qwen
   5. Wan
   6. Tongyi Deep Research
7. 6 Six Alibaba values

------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Or read my Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is a summary of my GenAI playbook. It is the summary of 12 articles.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

The mentioned graphics are here.

That’s it for the GenAI playbook.

Cheers, Jeff

 -------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase digital growth and strengthen digital AI moats. Get in touch here.

I write about digital growth and digital AI strategy. With 3 best selling books and +2.9M followers on LinkedIn. You can read my writing at the free email below.

Or read my Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast has my predictions for 2026.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

My predictions are:

1) It Will be Another Big Year For Google Gemini

2) GenAI Data Architecture in Enterprises Will Be the Critical Capability

3) AI Service Business Models vs. Platform Business Models Is the Big Question.

4) AI Agents and Agent Operating Basics Are the Other Critical Capability for Businesses

5) Agentic Ecommerce Will Be a Major Disruption

6) AI Cloud Businesses Will Continue to Lead

7) China Will Shock the World with Robotics and Physical AI 

----------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to supercharge digital growth and build digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about the likely impact of agents on ecommerce. And specifically on tourism.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here is the mentioned McKinsey report.

----------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about estimating the costs of providing GenAI products and services. And this is changing.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

My approach to assessing GenAI operating costs is the below checklist.

1. What is the cost of compute, including energy and cooling? Initial cost vs. ongoing?
   1. The core compute is going to drive a lot of the costs. Especially if you are using an AI cloud service provider. If you have a downloaded open-source model, then it’s mostly the initial cost.
   2. These compute costs dependent on the requirements of the AI workloads:
      1. The compute requirements
      2. The timing requirements
      3. The memory requirements
2. What is the cost of creating and maintaining the desired correctness over time?
   1. How accurate and correct you need the foundation model to be is a big deal. And this factor determines how much of the operations are done by software versus humans. It can make the costs of GenAI products look a lot more like services than traditional software.
   2. My main questions are:
      1. How much does correctness matter? What level of correctness does the product need to compete? What is the cost of inaccuracy?
      2. How does correctness change over time? Is it stable and flat lining, advancing, naturally changing or deteriorating?
      3. How much of a long tail is there in the domain? Is the long tail a liability or a benefit?
      4. How much of the process is iterative? How much are humans in the loop?
      5. What is the initial cost of training and getting to the desired level of correctness?
      6. What is the ongoing cost of inference at the desired level of correctness? How much are humans in the loop?
      7. What is the cost and frequency of fine tuning and/or retraining?
3. What are the cost implications of increasing scale?
   1. What are the scale advantages vs. disadvantages?
   2. Does the Jevon paradox apply?

 --------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about my trip to Xiaomi, Unitree and iQIYI.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

---------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about AI Agents transforming ecommerce. Likely all commerce.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here is the McKinsey article I mentioned:

• The agentic commerce opportunity: How AI agents are ushering in a new era for consumers and merchants

Here is the BCG article I mentioned:

• When Brands Meet AI Bots: Customer Experience in the Era of Agents

--------

 I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about generative AI strategy. And it's my summary of some key points of Sangeet Choudary's book "Reshuffle: Who wins when AI restacks the knowledge economy".

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

My take-aways are:

1. GenAI’s Biggest Impact Will Be as a New Technology for Coordination.
2. GenAI Coordination Happens at 3 Levels (Shipping Container Example).
3. GenAI is Dramatically Increasing What Can Be Coordinated. And How (OTA and Construction Examples).
4. GenAI Will Impact How Firms Coordinate Knowledge. And Will Create Brains for Organizations.

Photo by Sanket Mishra on Unsplash

--------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about habit formation. And Gmail is a good example of a moderate version of this that can be copied.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are the 4 psych hacks:

1. Gmail is Habit Forming via a High Frequency Utility Over a Long Time
2. Gmail is Internally Triggering. That’s the Gold Standard.
3. Gmail Has Task Completion Rewards. Ok But Not as Good as Variable Rewards.
4. Gmail has Infinite Variability. But This Is More Powerful in Entertainment than a Utility.

A lot of this is from the book Hooked: How to Build Habit Forming Products, by Nir Eyal.

 ---------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about why bundling (and cross-selling and upselling) are so powerful in digital. Plus, some thoughts on why data moats are mostly not real.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here is the article on bundling by Chris Dixon.

• How bundling benefits sellers and buyers

A lot of thinking on data as a moat comes from these articles by Martin Casado, Julian Wright and Andre Hagiu.

• The Empty Promise of Data Moats
• When Data Creates Competitive Advantage

Here are 7 complications I mentioned about bundling.

1. Bundling requires a a robust product suite.
2. You want a low attach rate. So you don't cannibalize products by bundling.
3. Bundling can complicate the customer experience and buying journey.
4. Bundling works best when all customers have similar total willingness to pay. But different tastes.
5. Unlimited bundles (subscriptions) can have problems if there are non-zero product costs.
6. Unlimited bundles (subscriptions) do limit revenue per user. This is a problem when willingness to pay is positively correlated with demand for variety.
7. Subscription models do not reward superstar creators very well.

 ----------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is a summary of my approach to digital strategy.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

The two key strategy questions are:

• Where to play?
• How to win?

The four topics discussed are:

• Digital Growth Strategy
  • Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies (Wiley Finance) 8th Edition
  • Profit from the Core: A Return to Growth in Turbulent Times Hardcover – Illustrated, January 26, 2010
• Operating Performance: Get smarter faster better (DOB and Tactics)
  • Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI
  • My Playbook for Data-Empowered Operations (2 of 2) (Tech Strategy)
  • The GenAI / Agentic Operating Basics (Tech Strategy)
• Cx and Constant Customer Improvements (DOB2)
• Moats and Structural Advantages (my area)

The mentioned graphics are here.

——–

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is a plan for building an Agentic AI operating model.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here are the mentioned articles. A lot of this thinking is from these McKinsey articles.

• The agentic organization: Contours of the next paradigm for the AI era
• The change agent: Goals, decisions, and implications for CEOs in the agentic age

Here are the building blocks for an Agentic AI Operating Model:

• Operating model. Based on AI-first work flows. With agent teams as the building blocks. Plus orchestration of agent teams.
• Hybrid workforce, with new talent profiles.
• Technology and data
• Governance

 -----------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is the first in a series about AI infrastructure. Both capabilities and costs.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here is the article on the Agentic AI Operating Basics, which I wrote up last week.

• The GenAI / Agentic Operating Basics (Tech Strategy)

Here is the Huawei whitepapers related to AI Data Centers

AI-Ready Data Infrastructure Reference Architecture White Paper

https://e.huawei.com/en/forms/2024/solutions/data-storage/ai-ready-data-infrastructure-white-paper

AI Data Center Facility Reference Design

https://digitalpower.huawei.com/upload-pro/index/index/Huawei-AI-Data-Center-Reference-Design.pdf

Here are the slides from the mentioned Huawei whitepaper.

-------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is a quick summary of how to use data in operations. 

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here is my data playbook.

1. Sell data as a product. Or part of the product itself. But you are selling data. This can expand into selling services.
2. Analytics use cases are valuable. Think analytics vs insights vs predictions. 
3. Data can increase the speed of management decisions. Think dashboards.
4. Rate of learning and adaptation is more powerful version of this. This can be a big strength in some businesses. 
5. Data products supporting agile teams are important. 

------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about digital growth, which is really a process. It's a weekly grind to capture incremental growth as well and new waves.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Much of this thinking is by Chris Zook and Bain’s strategy practice. I am citing these books:

• Profit from the Core
• Beyond the Core

Here is my favorite summary quote.

Here's a quick summary of core vs. adjacency.

Most all sustainable growth is based on 1-2 strong cores.

A profitable core is centered on the strongest position in terms of loyal customers, competitive advantage, unique skills, and ability to earn profits.

Growth adjacencies include:

• New customer segments:
  • Micro-segmentation of current segments
  • Unpenetrated segments
  • New segments
• New geographies
  • Global expansion
  • Local expansion
• New channels
  • Internet
  • Distribution
  • Indirect
• New products
  • New to world
  • Complements
  • Support services
  • Next generation
  • Just new products / services
• New Businesses
  • New to world needs
  • New substitutes
  • New models
  • Capability adjacencies
• New value chain steps
  • Forward integration
  • Backwards integration
  • Sell capability to outside

-------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about Cainiao's rapid rise from 2014-2022. Despite having a pretty unclear strategy. It's another example of Alibaba's Management Playbook.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here is the case study from CEO Wan Lin.

• Wan Lin: My Practice On Strategy

 ——–

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about search-focused vs. interaction / engagement focused ecommerce. And a lot about Pinduoduo.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Interaction / engagement-focused product has three dimensions:

• Recommendations. This is passive consumption, not active searching. So that means machine learning-powered newsfeeds. Basically, just like TikTok and Instagram.
• Entertainment. That means features, games, and videos.
• Community. This is about tapping into group behavior. You want active communication and sharing between users. And on social networks. You also want livestreaming with friends. And, if possible, you want group buying.

I think there are two archetypes for interaction-focused ecommerce.

• Type 1: Newsfeed based. That’s TikTok. That’s the sushi train restaurants. This is TikTok Shop is a good example of this. With lots of little purchases. Mostly based on whose videos you like to watch and what surprises show up in your feed.
• Type 2: Carnival based. That’s early PDD. It’s lots of games. Which is very different than TikTok Shop.

Alibaba has three interesting use cases for ecommerce.

1. The Power of Livestreaming in Ecommerce
2. Image-Based Search Changes the Way We Find Products
3. Conversational Search

Photo by Hugh Han on Unsplash

——--

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about my visit to Tencent AI Cloud in Beijing.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

My are my 3 take-aways:

1. Take-Away 1: Tencent Cloud is Doing “Fast-Follower with Advantages” in AI.
2. WeChat and Tencent Cloud Are Going International Leading with Tech Services.
3. I Expect Tencent Cloud to Be One of the World’s Top 5 AI Cloud Companies.

 ---------

I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.

I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.

I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about how Alibaba.com restructured its business and re-ignited growth in 2017-2018.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

My summary of the Alibaba Management Playbook:

• Diagnose the problem:
  • What is the chief complaint?
    • Stagnant growth? Low NPS?
  • What is the differential diagnosis?
• 1-Re-clarify and re-focus customer value. This includes:
  • Customer segmentation. Who are you targeting? What are you after (revenue)? Traffic? Data?
  • What do they most care about? Map out the process.
  • Is what customers want changing? Tech change? PC to mobile changed what maps could do.
  • What is the competitor offering and how you are going to take their customers?
• 2-Launch 2-3 key strategic initiatives to increase refocused customer value.
• 3-Improve production. Fix the big pain points of customers, staff, suppliers, etc. 
  • Requires data-driven decision making and iteration.
• 4-Change the org structure, talent and culture. Improve production relations.
  • Increased communication and coordination.
• 5-Have early wins (small phased victories). Important to test the strategy and get data. And to re-enforce culture and org changes.
• 6-Agile tactics and speed are key.
  • You win chess with 2x the moves.
  • Tactical brilliance and guerrilla execution.
• 7-Build a powerful biz model or operating flywheel. Maybe access multi-growth curves.
• Measure Outcomes
  • Financial and operational
  • Strategic

——--

 I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and transformation.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that helps retailers, brands, and technology companies exploit digital change to grow faster, innovate better and build digital moats. Get in touch here.

My book series Moats and Marathons is one-of-a-kind framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about how Alibaba's Amap quickly dethroned market leader Baidu Maps.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

Here is the Amap case study.

My summary of the Alibaba Management Playbook:

• Diagnose the problem: 
  • Stagnant growth? Negative NPS? Low engagement?
• 1-Unwavering focus on customer value. Re-clarify customer value. This includes:
  • Customer segmentation. Who are you targeting? What are you after (revenue)? Traffic? Data (Amap)?
  • What do they most care about? Map out the process.
  • Is what customers want changing? Tech change? PC to mobile changed what maps could do.
  • What is the competitor offering and how you are going to take their customers?
• 2-Fix the Big Pain Points. Requires Data-Driven Decision Making and Iteration.
• 3-Do cultural change and increased communication and coordination.
• 4-Agile teams and tactics are key. Tactical brilliance and guerrilla execution.
• 5-Have early wins.
• 6-Build a powerful biz model or operating flywheel.

---------

 I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and transformation.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that helps retailers, brands, and technology companies exploit digital change to grow faster, innovate better and build digital moats. Get in touch here.

My book series Moats and Marathons is one-of-a-kind framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show

This week’s podcast is about scale advantages. Which are different than economies of scale.

You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.

Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.

Here is the link to our Tech Tours.

5 Things People Get Wrong about Scale Advantages, Economies of Scale and Moats

1. There are lots of absolute (not relative) scale advantage. Growth is the default business strategy.
2. Scale advantages are bigger (and more vague) than economies of scale
3. Scale advantages can cascade
4. Scale disadvantages (diseconomies of scale, big company disease) are under-rated and under-measured
5. You need to separate barriers from competitive advantages. And measure each specifically.

I want to know 3 things:

1. Barriers to entry against new entrants.
   1. What specific CRAS to reproduce?
   2. What is the cost, difficulty and timing to enter?
2. Competitive advantage against rivals
   1. Which CAs specifically? With measurements.
3. The incumbent or rival response

---------

I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and transformation.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that helps retailers, brands, and technology companies exploit digital change to grow faster, innovate better and build digital moats. Get in touch here.

My book series Moats and Marathons is one-of-a-kind framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.

Support the show