One of the first & best lessons you get as a young business reporter: follow the money. I have never forgotten that. It is a handy lens – you can zoom in or out when trying to understand something. (1)
Using that approach, I looked at Apple’s recent moves. Especially around advertising. One can get lost in the outrage over Apple’s push to advertising — the Internet’s first original sin, but the question is why? (2)
From privacy (theater) to tussle with Facebook nee Meta to risking antagonizing its current customer base, if you zoom out, you start to see a reason behind Apple’s moves. (3)
The same reason has pushed Apple’s foray into payments, credit cards, and buy no later pay offerings. By following the money, it is easy to see that Apple has a golden noose around its neck. (4)
In my debut piece for The Spectator World, the US edition of the world’s oldest magazine, I explain Apple’s dilemma and why it has to do what it is doing. (Registration Required.)
August 24, 2022. San Francisco