#13 Data and Insights as a Service is the next triple-sized moby dick. Why Bezos chose his SaaS guy. Evolution of the gaming industry. Peloton and Ford worth the same. Nike acquisition and more ...

March 1, 2021

Why this newsletter. Link

Archive of previous issues. Link

I wrote a new post that I wanted to share with you all.

Why Jeff Bezos appointed his SaaS guy as successor ->

Jeff Bezos has surprisingly announced that in Q3 2021 he will step down as Amazon CEO. Surprising was also the choice of his successor: Andy Jassy, the company’s top cloud executive and CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Why. Link.

Featured image by Building Materials Online (BMO) 

News on SaaSed-up companies 🗞

Amazon's news release announcing CEO transition. Link.

An interview with James Gwertzman, the head of cloud gaming at Microsoft. Gwertzman was a fountain of knowledge and insight, providing a wealth of information on cloud computing, cloud services, and things to come in the games industry. Link.

News on SaaSing-up companies 📈

Nike acquires data integration expert Datalogue. This is Nike’s latest acquisition to enable its consumer-led digital transformation. "The acquisition of Datalogue builds on our digital momentum by enhancing our ability to transform raw data into actionable insights in real time and across the enterprise." said John Donahoe, President and CEO, Nike, Inc. Link.

Twitter Introduces New Paid Subscription Service "Super Follow". New revenue streams will undoubtedly be key to Twitter’s ambitious plan to double its revenues by 2023. Link.

Volkswagen to work with Microsoft on cloud-based Automated Driving Platform. Link.

Ford and Google sign six-year deal for in-car connectivity and cloud services. Link.

Rising Stars

SaaS companies may still be your big fish. But then, data companies are that triple-sized moby dick falling from the skies straight through your roof and right into your living room (cit. Aleksandar Stojanovic).

Data as a Service. Databricks, a start-up whose software helps companies quickly process large sets of data and get it ready for analysis, said it has raised $1 billion in fresh cash, including from a few prominent investors: Amazon Web Services, Alphabet, Salesforce and Microsoft all joined in. Link.

One of the key mantras of SaaSification is that everything is becoming Conversational and this may help to explain the meteoric rise of Clubhouse. Many believe that live audio represents the next phase of social media — or, at the very least, a long-overdue addition to the current text-, photo- and video-based experiences. Link.

Chelsea Stahl / NBC News; Getty Images

SaaS companies

A Common and Critical Mistake When Forecasting Next Year's Bookings in SaaS. Link.

Thoughts on Hiring Your First VP of Sales by Dave Kellogg, one of the most respected SaaS leaders globally. I agree with 3 and 4. I disagree with 1, 2 and 6, especially as far as Europe is concerned. Link.

Interesting reads 📖

Peloton and Ford have the same market cap. Ford has been the best selling vehicle in America for the last 40 years and Peloton has the best selling bike with an iPad taped to it for the last 4 months. Link.

Do you want to understand what is happening in the world through real numbers? Have a look at the last presentation of Benedict Evans. Covid brought shock and a lot of broken habits to tech, but mostly, it accelerates everything that was already changing. Link.

McKinsey figured that European B2B startups generate more value per funding than US but EU B2B startups fail earlier than US startups, with only 27% advancing from Seed to Series A. Link.

Podcasts and Webinars 🎬

What is the future of car ownership? Lynk & Co. is an upmarket car brand from Geely and Volvo, who want to attract customers with connectivity and a car club offering. "People Want To Drive a Car, Not Buy A Car", Lynk & Co. CEO said in a recent interview. Link.

Technology enablement, new generation of customers and the need of recurring revenue. Are We At The Subscription Economy Tipping Point? Link.

Manually curated by @luigimallardo