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-...
Jul 07, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 253
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 ...
Jun 27, 2025•48 min
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 There are lots of absolute (not relative) scale advantage. Growth is the default business strategy. Scale advantages...
Jun 19, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 251
This week’s podcast is about fragmented industries. And other industry structures that are overly competitive. It summarizes a lot of Michael Porter's writing on this subject. 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...
Jun 11, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 250
This week’s podcast is about my visits to Tencent. Which is becoming much more about AI. 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 3 take-aways: WeChat Has Way More Functions That I Knew. They Have 26 Years of Experience Messengers. Tencent Is “All In” on Yuanbao, Hunyuan LLM and AI Cloud. Merchant and Enterprise Services Ar...
Jun 01, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 249
This week’s podcast is about learning and adaptation as a core capability. Which is becoming much more important with AI. 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 . 6 Levels of Rate of Learning and Adaptation. Tactics: Such as marketing, inventory and assortment, store layout, pricing, churn Customer retention, customer segmenta...
May 23, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 248
This week’s podcast is about audience builder platforms. 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 main points: Misconception 1: Audience Builder Platforms Are Just Content Hubs with Libraries Misconception 2: Audience Builder Platforms Are Highly Profitable Misconception 3: Audience Builder Platforms Get You “Winn...
Apr 30, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 246
This week’s podcast is about my visit to Alibaba Cloud headquarters in Hangzhou. 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 main points: 1-Social and community platform commerce. Livestreaming (entertaining plus impulse shopping) Community platforms. Interest based social commerce. 2-Discovery-driven customer experi...
Apr 19, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 244
This week’s podcast is about my visit to Baidu. 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...
Apr 11, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 243
This week’s podcast is about my visits to Xiaomi and Horizon 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 . Lessons from Xiaomi Consumption ecosystem . Car, person, home High performance management Rapid manufacturing build out as a capability . Cheap. But also fast and flexible. Upgrades. Increasing combined with software...
Mar 30, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 242
This week’s podcast is about WeRide. And about real-world AI. 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 . Major Factors: Tech capabilities and progress Commercialization and adoption of products Economies of scope Management performance ----------- I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and...
Mar 18, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 241
This week’s podcast is about Horizon Robotics. And about real-world AI. Especially when coming out of China. I am also trying to figure out how ecosystems of developers can become strengths for business. Especially when amplified by open-source. 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 h...
Mar 10, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 240
This week’s podcast is about what businesses should know about AI 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 . --------- 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 t...
Feb 06, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 238
This week’s podcast is about the recent wave of Chinese tech companies that is shocking Western businesses and politicians. 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 mega-trends that matter here are: Rising Chinese consumers Manufacturing scale Brainpower behemoth Money Here is DeepSeek. You can try it for free here: chat.d...
Jan 26, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 237
This week’s podcast is about 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 . Here are the 4 engines: Re-Igniting Growth in Their Now Re-Organized Ecommerce Business Accelerating the Build Out of their Global Smart Logistics Network – Starting with Cross-Border Express Delivery Big Investments in Alibaba Cloud. With Price Cut...
Jan 18, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 236
This week’s podcast is about 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 . Here are the 5 things everyone gets wrong: 1 - Not breaking economies of scale into its multiple types 2 – Overlooking the Negative Impact of a Non-Circumscribed and / or High Growth Market 3 – Not Understanding Minimum Efficient Scale, I...
Jan 12, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 235
This week’s podcast is about my visit to Trip.com 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 . ------- 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 com...
Dec 26, 2024•34 min
This week’s podcast is about Threads (Meta Facebook) vs. X (Twitter). 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 c...
Dec 23, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 233
This week’s podcast is about my interview with Dongliang Guo, Head of International at Alibaba Cloud. 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 Tour s. Here are my 3 take-aways: Take-Away 1: Alibaba Cloud is Focused on the Infrastructure and Model Layers. It Is Differentiating its GenAI with an Open-Source Ecosystem (i.e., ModelScope) ...
Dec 14, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 232
This week’s podcast is my playbook for Extreme Personalization. And how generative AI can supercharge never-ending customer improvements. 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 Tour s. Here is more on 4 stages. Unlock the Secret to Customer Obsession: The Extreme Personalization Playbook (1 of 3) (Tech Strategy) Extreme Personalizat...
Dec 08, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 231
This week’s podcast is what I learned about ecommerce from my visits to China's leading players. 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 the Tech Tour s. Lesson 1: GenAI Is accelerating and intensifying the fight for attention and ecommerce Lesson 2: Cross-Border ecommerce is a big opportunity that is growing. Chinese companies are leading. L...
Dec 02, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 230
This week’s podcast is about how Cainiao is expanding internationally with smart logistics. 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 the Tech Tour . -------- 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 retailer...
Nov 22, 2024•38 min
This week’s podcast is about why I like beauty ecommerce. And beauty 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 the Tech Tour s. There are five points. An attractive space. With lots of interesting consumer behavior. Premiumization Fragmentation and changing competition Innovation and Digital Disruption Lots of dimensions for digital to im...
Nov 15, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 228
This week’s podcast is about personalization and never-ending customer improvements. This is a key operating activity. And sometimes it is a digital marathon that can create an operating advantage. 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 the Tech Tour . Here are the 4 steps to start personalizing. Step 1 is DOB3 (Digital Core) and DOB 6 (peop...
Nov 08, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 227
This week’s podcast is about how non-rational behavior plays out products / services, consumer behavior and network effects. Digital tools are making tribal and belief network effects more sophisticated, surgical and powerful. 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 the Tech Tour . Point 1: Digital is super-charging consumer products, experie...
Oct 22, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 226
This week’s podcast is about network effects. And my 6 questions to look for. 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 the Tech Tour . Here are the 4 network effects questions: What is the asymptotic scale? What is the minimum viable scale? What is the shape of the curve? What is the scale differential with rivals? Here the 4 network effect ef...
Oct 17, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 225
This week’s podcast is about TikTok vs. Netflix. And how consumer behavior combines with digital tools in the video space. 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 the Tech Tour . Here is the interview with Jonathan Haidt . And his book the Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion Here are the 5 lessons: Lesson 1: H...
Oct 05, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 224
This week’s podcast is about Coinbase, which has been coming back in terms of share price and revenue. 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 the Tech Tour . Here are the three lessons: Lesson 1: Don’t get seduced by stories and cool business models. Lesson 2: You live and die with the customer. Bitcoin + Coinbase was a 10x solution to a mas...
Sep 26, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 223
This week’s podcast is about CloudKitchens, the new venture of former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. And why I think it is a better business model than Uber. In theory. 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 the Tech Tour . Here is the interview with Travis on the All in Podcast about this business. ——— I write, speak and consult about how to win...
Sep 17, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 222
This week’s podcast is about Kuaishou. And the key questions that determine its future. 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 the Tech Tour . Here are my three longer-term questions for Kuaishou. What is the future relationship with Tencent? As it relates to users and engagement? Economies of Scope. Does it need to move beyond video to othe...
Sep 12, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 221
