Digital Winners & Losers

February 02, 2017

Read The Full Prompt

Digital technologies are upending many industries and companies. Think about Uber’s impact on the taxi business or Spotify’s impact on music downloads and the record industry.

For this assignment, we would like you to identify companies/organizations that you think are winning or losing. Just work on either winners or losers. Please focus on just one organization. Tell us why they are a winner or loser. Discuss elements of how they create and/or capture value that is leading you to call them a winner or loser.

Create an approximately 500-750 word post to make your contribution on d3.harvard.edu/platform-digit by 6pm on Feb 2. Please create appropriate tags for your post including if it is a “winner” or “loser.” Please also respond to and comment on three other posts per module. Feel free to use graphics, data, videos and links to other sites to corroborate your points.

Selected posts will be discussed in class and also featured on the HBS Digital Initiative website.

Please prepare a 2-3 min summary of your blog post before class.

Submitted (99)

musical.ly strikes the right chord – to the tune of 40M MAU
Libby
Last modified on March 1, 2017 at 3:23 pm
musica.ly was one of the hottest apps of 2015 and 2016 – and hasn't left the App Store Top 40 ever since. Are its 15-second videos a one-hit wonder, or are they here to stay?
Amazon Go – A Winning Bet in the Convenience Store and Grocery Business
KunalRai
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 3:33 pm
Amazon Go - a new architecture cooks up a storm in an industry stuck in time.
Instacart – Leading the way for grocery deliveries
Rahul
Posted on February 2, 2017 at 5:53 pm
Instacart, an on demand platform for delivering groceries, is considered one of Americas most promising companies. The company was founded in 2012 and has rapidly expanded ever since - paving a new way for grocery deliveries
TripAdvisor: Still Flying High on its Journey to Instant Bookings
Julia
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 4:27 pm
TripAdvisor will continue to be a digital travel leader with its strong competitive advantages and ability to adapt.
Flipboard – Started from the Top and Now We’re Here (in a Hole)
Chun Pan
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 6:24 pm
In this post, we explore how Flipboard ended up as a loser in the digital content aggregators space.
Detroit In the Rear-view Mirror: How Uber will Commoditize Cars
Andrea
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 1:13 pm
Does Uber's rise mean automakers' demise?
Is Journalism Dead?
Kathy Wang
Posted on February 2, 2017 at 7:13 pm
"The most shareable breaking news, original reporting, entertainment, and video" or making journalism stupider and stupider?
STEM – making big business with big batteries
LiDe
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 5:10 pm
STEM does not own a factory. Yet, it is one of the most promising energy startups. By assembling the best available hardware and adding predictive analytics, STEM is able to create the grid of the future.
HBO: Content Now Or On The Go
Natalie
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 1:44 pm
HBO has launched HBO Go and HBO Now to stay relevant as TV distribution channels shift to digital and viewing habits change.
How AwesomenessTV Became Awesome
sijwang
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 3:47 pm
To start off, you may be wondering: what exactly is AwesomenessTV and why haven’t I heard of it? For starters, AwesomenessTV began in 2012 as a multichannel network on YouTube specifically targeting the teenager and pre-teen demographic (so, not us!). [...]
The New York Times – A Casualty of the Digital Revolution?
KylaW
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 6:01 pm
New York Times – A Casualty of the Digital Revolution?   Introduction The New York Times (NYT) is arguably the best known daily newspaper in the United States. The organization has been operating since 1851 and has won more Pulitzer [...]
Friend Not Foe: Starbucks Bets a Latte on Digital
Christy
Posted on February 2, 2017 at 5:46 pm
For years, Starbucks has been a lonely example of how a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer can leverage digital innovations, rather than fight them. The company introduced mobile payment systems in 2009 and wireless charging stations in 2015, far before the technologies [...]
New York Times Digital: Progress Through Trial and Error
michellebrous
Posted on February 2, 2017 at 6:49 pm
After introducing a "pay wall" to readers in 2011, The New York Times has launched several digital initiatives to grow online readership, and the results are mixed.
Hey Siri, can you help yourself?
shsenior
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 7:06 pm
How Siri blew its lead in the race to become the ultimate virtual assistant
Digital Winner in Food Delivery Industry
Seunghyun
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 1:36 pm
Digital Winner in Food Delivery Industry
Netflix: Winning in 21st Century Media
Caroline Brody
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 5:02 pm
How Netflix is winning in the unpredictable and fast changing landscape of 21st century media.
IDI: Digitizing the way into disintermediation in Israel’s insurance market
YuvalG
Last modified on February 1, 2017 at 10:19 pm
In mid March 2016 it finally happened, a great birthday present for Moshe Schneidman: His majority-controlled company, IDI insurance, or “Bituach Yashir” in Hebrew, passed all other insurance companies in Israel with a valuation of ILS 2.8B. How?
Danske Bank – A winner in digitalization
VilhelmVigNielsen
Posted on February 1, 2017 at 5:32 pm
How Danske Bank, a Danish bank from 1871, embraced disruption and managed to become a leader in digital innovation.
Slack: Where You Go to Get Work Done
LuluQ
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 5:35 pm
Slack is on a mission to make internal email obsolete, with 4 million DAU and growing its well on its way to do so.
Social Robot Stuck in Traffic
GilG
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 5:38 pm
Announced in mid-2014, Jibo captured the imagination looking into the potential of home assistant devices, does it still stand a chance?
HBX: A winner who doesn’t want to win?
Yi Xie
Posted on February 2, 2017 at 4:50 pm
Harvard Business School’s online learning initiative is a winner, but at what expense?
Toys “R” Us: Now Cast in The Walking Dead
NP
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 3:42 pm
Toys R Us losing ground in an online retail world.
Changing of the Guard: Is AT&T’s Wireless Business at Risk?
Will Newell
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 7:52 am
New technologies threaten to significantly change the dynamics for wireless carrier business models. Can they adapt, or are ATT and Verizon destined for obsolescence?
Penguin Random House
sblemast
Last modified on February 2, 2017 at 5:37 pm
Penguin Random House and traditional book publishers have been disrupted by e-books and Amazon.com, but have adapted and should be able to survive
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