In this class, I go into the how digital native education companies like LAIX are challenging traditional companies like New Oriental.

You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.

Which of the 6 Digital Superpowers does LAIX have? If any.

1. Dramatically transform the user experience
2. Enable a platform business model
3. Network effects
4. Other competitive advantage
5. Virality
6. Scalable

Related podcasts and articles:

• Review: The Sexy But Dangerous Economics of Digital (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 15)

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 2, with a focus on:

• #1: Basics of Digital Economics

Concepts for this class:

• Jobs to be Done
• Digital Econoimcs
• Digital Superpower 1: Dramatically Transform User Experience

Companies for this class:

• Liulishuo (LAIX)
• New Oriental Education

———-

I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.

I also run Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.

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

In this class, I go into the increasing dimensions of operational marathons. I call these the SMILE marathon.

You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.

SMILE Marathons. Competing every day on which dimensions?

1. Scale, Scope, Efficiency and Effectiveness
2. Machine Learning / AI Factories and Zero-Human Operations
3. Innovation
4. Rate of Learning
5. Ecosystem Orchestration and Management

Related podcasts and articles:

• What Should Starbucks China Have Done About Luckin Coffee? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 3)
• My Interview With Huawei About Their 2019 Financials. Plus Fraud at Luckin Coffee. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 24)

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 4-5, with a focus on:

• #23: SMILE Marathon

Concepts for this class:

• SMILE Marathon
• SMILE Marathon Dimension 1: Scale, Scope, Efficiency and Effectiveness
• SMILE Marathon Dimension 2: Machine Learning / AI Factories and Zero-Human Operations
• SMILE Marathon Dimension 3: Innovation
• SMILE Marathon Dimension 4: Rate of Learning
• SMILE Marathon Dimension 5: Ecosystem Orchestration and Management 

Companies for this class:

• Huawei
• Luckin Coffee

———-

I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.

I also run Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.

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

In this class, I talk about ways AI and cheap prediction are being used in fashion and apparel. From my interview with Dr. Tao Mei, Vice President of Cloud & AI at JD.com.

You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.

Related podcasts and articles:

• How Big Will Ant Financial / Alipay Become? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 28)
• Products with Personalities? My Interview with JD About Conversational AI (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 31)

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 4-5, with a focus on:

• #22: Basics of AI

Concepts for this class:

• Digital Superpowers
• Operational Marathon
• AI as Cheap Prediction
• AI Factories / Zero-Human Operations

Companies for this class:

• JD

———-

I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.

I also run Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.

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

In this class, I go through some of the basics of Grab, GoJek and Lazada. And the different approaches for capturing local services in SE Asia.

You can listen here or at my webpage.

Which are the most important 1-2 factors for the competition in SE Asia services?

1. Consumer engagement and experience. Capturing a share of the consumer mind.
2. Merchant engagement and experience. Being strong with service providers.
3. Platform business models and their advantages (subsidized pricing, growing interactions, data, etc.)
4. Network effects.
5. Management execution and access to capital.

Related podcasts and articles:

• Meituan vs. Ctrip vs. Alibaba: Who Will Win in China Services? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 22)
• How Can Meituan Compete with Alibaba? And Prepare for Next Gen Services Marketplaces? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 27)

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 4-5, with a focus on:

• #16: Basics of Ctrip, Meituan and Marketplace Platforms for Services

Concepts for this class:

• Bundling
• Platforms: Marketplaces for Services
• Network Effects

Companies for this class:

• Grab
• GoJek
• Didi
• Lazada

———-

I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.

I also run Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.

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

In this class, I talk about my interview with He Xiaodong of JD. And about how chatbots are evolving into conversational AI. Plus the basics of AI economics.

You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.

CORRECTION. In this podcast, I mentioned that JD's Smart Customer Service has the personality of a young woman. Xiaodong was actually referreing to Microsoft's Xiaolce. My apologies. 

Related podcasts and articles:

• JD and Competitive Advantages vs. Entry Barriers in China Retail (Daily Lesson – Jeff’s Asia Tech Class)
• JD vs. Alibaba: How Retailers and Marketplace Platforms Compete and Evolve in China (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 18)

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 4-5, with a focus on:

• #22 Basics of AI

Concepts for this class:

• AI - Cheap Prediction
• Mismatched and/or Crippled Scale

Companies for this class:

• JD

———-

I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.

I also run Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.

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. 

www.jefftowson.com

Support the show

In this class, I talk about what can be done with Luckin Coffee post-scandal. Should another company or investor buy it?

You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.

Who should buy Luckin Coffee? Choose an option.

1. Starbucks
2. 711 or other convenience store
3. HeyTea
4. Alibaba or other ecommcerce company
5. Financial investors

Related podcasts and articles on Luckin and Heytea:

• What Should Starbucks China Have Done About Luckin Coffee? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 3)
• Will Luckin, Mobike, Didi or WeWork Ever Be Profitable? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 6)
• My Interview With Huawei About Their 2019 Financials. Plus Fraud at Luckin Coffee. (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 24)
• Forget Luckin. Starbucks’ Most Interesting China Competitor is HeyTea (pt 1 of 2)
• While Luckin Fights Starbucks, HeyTea Has Lines Out the Door in China (pt 2 of 2)

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 4-5, with a focus on:

• #21 New Retail and Value Added Deals

Concepts for this class:

• New Retail
• Company Quality: Good / Great / Bad / Too Hard
• Alwaleed and Surgical Value Add / Value Point

Companies for this class:

• Luckin Coffee
• Heytea

———-

I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.

I also run Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.

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. 

www.jefftowson.com

Support the show

In this class, I talk about Shopee (ecommerce) and Garena (online gaming) in SE Asia - and the complementary platform businesses Sea Limited is building.

You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.

The previous articles and books I cite are:

• Platform Revolution (book)

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 4-5, with a focus on:

• #20 The Basics of Garena / Shopee and Audience Builder Platforms

Concepts for this class:

• Audience Builder Platforms
• Complementary Platforms
• Arms Race for Consumer Attention, Engagement and Spending

Companies for this class:

• Shopee
• Garena / Sea Limited
• Lazada / Alibaba

———-

I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.

I also run Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.

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. 

www.jefftowson.com

Support the show

In this class, I talk about Ant Financial / Alipay, AI factories and the basics of payment platforms.

You can listen here or at my website for this podcast.

The graphic discussed is shown here. 

The previous articles I cite are:

• From Big, Dumb Bureaucracies to Zero-Human Operations: The Holy Grail of the Digital Age (pt 1 of 2)
• How Ant Financial / Alipay is Building an AI Factory in Financial Services (pt 2 of 2)

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 4-5, with a focus on:

• #19 The Basics of Ant Financial and Payment Platforms

Concepts for this class:

• Advantages of Scale
• Economies of Scale and Scope
• Learning Advantages
• Disadvantages of Scale: Bureaucracy, Specialization, Scope, Scale, Complexity, Connectivity
• Payment Platforms
• AI Factories / Zero-Human Operations

Companies for this class:

• Ant Financial
• Alibaba

———-

I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.

I also run Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.

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. 

www.jefftowson.com

Support the show

In this class, I talk about Meituan and the evolution toward more advanced types of services marketplaces.

You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.

What Should Meituan Do?:

1. Geographic expansion
2. Focus on transportation services (i.e., Didi)
3. Focus on hospitality services (i.e., Ctrip)
4. Jump into an ancillary opportunity: Financial Services or Cloud Services
5. Advance into more complicated services (i.e., market networks)

The previous podcast on the subject is:

• Meituan vs. Ctrip vs. Alibaba: Who Will Win in China Services? (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Podcast 22)

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 4-5, with a focus on:

• #18 More on Meituan and Marketplace Platforms for Services

Concepts for this class:

• Market Networks
• Marketplaces for Products and Services

Companies for this class:

• Meituan
• Alibaba

———-

I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.

I also run Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.

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. 

www.jefftowson.com

Support the show

In this class, I talk about networks vs. ecosystems. And how networks have evolved from physical to virtual / digital.

You can listen here or at iTunes, Google Podcasts and Himalaya.

This is part of Learning Goals: Level 4-5, with a focus on:

• #17 Basics of Baidu and Physical and Virtual Networks

A lot of the AT&T information comes from the book The Business of Platforms.

Concepts for this class:

• Network Effects
• Networks and Ecosystems
• Complementary Products, Services and Platforms

Companies for this class:

• Baidu
• AT&T

———-

I write and speak about digital China and Asia’s latest tech trends.

I also run Jeff’s Asia Tech Class, a podcast and subscription newsletter on the strategies of China / Asia tech companies.

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. 

www.jefftowson.com

Support the show