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Aggregation Theory (2015) (stratechery.com)
37 points by memorable on Dec 28, 2022 | hide | past | favorite | 6 comments



I agree somewhat with nabla9 -- this sounds similar to the old idea that "the only two ways to make money is bundling and unbundling".

I like that this author focuses on the bundling part! Usually people give many words to unbundling and then assume that bundling is just what big incumbents do to grow and eventually petrify -- not so! There's plenty of strategic opportunity for bundling to create something new as well.


>First, the Internet has made distribution (of digital goods) free,

counterpoint: huh?

As just one obvious example streaming is not free, but I'm not sure if it is actually less expensive either. There is probably a point at which there are enough instances streaming of a popular Netflix offering that it would be cheaper to broadcast it.


> As just one obvious example streaming is not free, but I'm not sure if it is actually less expensive either.

It's free on the margin, and effectively free when contrasted with equivalent delivery of physical goods.

> There is probably a point at which there are enough instances streaming of a popular Netflix offering that it would be cheaper to broadcast it.

If you view your local CDN as a "transmitter", then we're already pretty close to packet-switched network equivalent of a broadcast transmission.


>If you view your local CDN as a "transmitter"...

So does that mean for a large number of same time streams of popular programs are the same cost as a broadcast, invariably cheaper, or potentially costing more?

At any rate since the model is closer to cable or broadcast TV than it is to physical ownership of goods I'm not sure that it matters what the equivalent delivery of physical goods is like.

But I guess I should walk back or clarify what I said earlier, I am pretty sure it is less expensive and in comparison (when using the right metrics) pretty much free, otherwise things would cost a lot more. But I wonder if there will be edge cases where it will actually cost more.


Guy goes to patent office ans says "I invented want gun powder."

Patent clerk: "Gun powder has been invented already."

Guy: "I invented more of it."

This article demonstrates thinking in isolation. How you show that you are uneducated about the subject you are talking about and not curious to learn.

The first thing to do is to look at the research others have done on the subject. Try to find a name for the phenomenon.


If you think the author of Stratechery is uneducated in the field you probably need to do more research yourself




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