Monday, November 7, 2016: Steve Ballmer said last week that things might have been different for Microsoft and mobile had they only followed his advice. I personally think it probably wouldn’t have made any difference. The Shoulda-Woulda-Coulda story he recounted, overlooks the one thing that...
Thursday, November 3, 2016: Here’s a good one. I got a tax refund check for ….. $1. I promise not to spend it all in one place – but seriously, the fact that the government is sending people checks for a dollar is nuts. It’s...
Monday, October 17, 2016: Banks are getting a front seat in the mobile wallets war. I was presented with an ad on LinkedIn for Masterpass. But not Masterpass – Citi Masterpass. Positioned as the faster way to pay online and “on your phone” using your bank....
Thursday, August 4, 2016: I’m always curious about “what lies beneath” the acquisition strategies of companies. Sometimes it’s not all the intuitive at first blush. Take Walmart and Jet, if the rumors are true. What would the world’s largest retailer be doing with an eCommerce...
Wednesday, July 27, 2016: “Go narrow/go deep” is a matchmaker must-do if ignition is the name of the game. I started thinking about its application to igniting innovation inside of payments, more generally. Take Omnicommerce – another incredibly important merchant ambition and consumer expectation. But...
Friday, July 22, 2016: Happy Friday! Remember when I said in my column on Monday that it was the competitors that you didn’t see coming that are the ones to really worry about? Overnight, we now have an interesting new payments landscape with the Mastercard/VocaLink...
Friday, July 15, 2016: Here’s a tough business problem. Making the pivot to a matchmaker business model when you started life as traditional, single-sided business. Everything about the business changes – multiple customers, not just one. Pricing models that get turned on their heads. Design...
Friday, July 8, 2016: Thought to provoke on this Friday. Is messaging the new browser? I just talked to a clever innovator who says it is. Proof point 3B people on top four messaging apps and something we all do every day – in fact,...
Friday, July 1, 2016: “Play by the rules,” we are told as kids (and adults). “Break the rules” innovators often say when pursuing new ideas. But what they should really be thinking, instead, is how to apply technology to reinvent the status quo – while...
