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Maybe we're just in a calm-before-the-storm moment, but, less than a week before the Apple update is expected, the internet companies in its path are remarkably calm.
Snapchat on Thursday forecast strong revenue growth of up to 85% for its current quarter, despite "anticipated disruptions" of the iPhone update. Snapchat also noted that it now has more Android users than iPhone users- something that should mitigate the impact of Apple's privacy change.
But one not-so-widely noted development from Facebook this week was the rollout of new ways for marketers to aim ads at its audience of 2 billion viewers based on the types of videos being watched - sports, pet and animals, business, etc. That sounds a lot like old-fashioned "contextual" advertising, which doesn't require collecting user data. Maybe Facebook's future is a reversion to the past?
There's another big development looming for tech companies: the post-pandemic reopening. And it's already causing some hiccups.
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Netflixreported first-quarter subscriber numbers that fell short of expectations. Netflix blamed last year's "big Covid-19 pull forward" - basically, a surge of signups from homebound consumers that's made it tougher to find new subscribers today. Netflix also cited the lack of fresh content, as lockdowns have made it harder to produce new movies and shows.
Perhaps one of the most interesting wildcards to watch as the pandemic fades will be what happens to the food delivery business that's been booming during the lockdowns. The return to restaurants and in-person dining will affect not just the DoorDash and Gubhubs of the world, but also the so-called ghost kitchens - shared, delivery-only kitchen facilities where restaurant workers prepare food for online orders.
One of the pioneers of the ghost kitchen business is former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.
CloudKitchens' employee ranks are made up of numerous Kalanick loyalists from the Uber days, and many of the company's corporate values are literally the same catchphrases that became infamous at Uber including "always be hustlin'" and "super pumped." While Kalanick's methods may be controversial, there's no denying that he was instrumental in making Uber the global juggernaut that it is. For better or for worse, history may be repeating itself
Amazon has gone from selling books online to delivering groceries to your doorstep, producing movies and building flying drones. So why not open a hair salon?
There's only one Amazon Salon and you'll need to go to London's Spitalfields neighborhood to try it.
Don't expect Amazon employees to get hands-on with your hair - a team of professional stylists from the city's Neville Hair & Beauty Salon will handle that part. Still, given Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' thing for robots, it doesn't take a big leap of imagination to envision future haircuts that don't involve human hands at all.
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