Tonya Evans, professor of law at Penn State Dickinson Law School, returns to the Pod to discuss the state of play in the metaverse, and where intellectual property laws come in. She and Scott also answer listener questions on NFTs as investment vehicles, cryptocurrency regulations, and what makes Web3 different from Web2.0. Follow Professor Evans on Twitter @IPProfEvans.
Podcast Type: Office Hours
Office Hours: Elon Musk and the Algebra of Deterrence, Amazon’s Third-Party Sellers, and the Dangers of Algorithmic Ads
Scott answers a question on why Elon Musk is able to get away with skirting the law, and shares his thoughts on why Musk’s Twitter takeover attempt may be a seminal moment for the SEC. He also answers a question about what might lie ahead for the companies that aggregate third-party sellers on Amazon’s platform, and weighs the pros and cons of subscription versus ad models.
Office Hours: Spotify Subscriptions, Stock Buybacks, and Inflation
Scott answers a question on how Spotify will maintain its value proposition and grow its market share in an increasingly competitive streaming market. He then shares his thoughts on what stock buybacks mean for stakeholders and gives us a run-down on our current state of inflation.
Office Hours: The Tesla Phone, Apple’s Enterprise Play, and Degrees vs. Bootcamps
Scott answers a question on whether Elon Musk could capture a competitive share of the smartphone market with a Tesla phone. He then shares his thoughts on why Apple is moving into the B2B space, and offers advice to someone deciding between pursuing a traditional college degree or a bootcamp certification.
Office Hours: The Strength of Sanctions, the Short-form Video Revolution, and Yielding to Economic Security
Scott answers a question on whether Upwork and other gig economy companies did the right thing by suspending services in Russia. Scott also shares his thoughts on how short videos might make their way into the enterprise after TikTok accelerated the trend toward bite-sized content. The Dawg then offers advice to a couple considering taking a career sabbatical to travel.
Office Hours: NVIDIA’s Strengths, Meta’s Virtual Real Estate Opportunities, Proprietary Streaming Content, and Rebranding Government Jobs
Scott shares his thoughts on whether NVIDIA’s stock is a strong long-term investment. He then shares how streaming services might innovate around proprietary content, and answers a question about whether Meta might acquire Decentraland or the Sandbox. Scott also considers how government work could be rebranded to attract young talent.
Office Hours: Philanthropy, What to Do About Standardized Testing, and the Algebra of Making Predictions
Scott shares his thoughts on the roles that tests like the ACT and SAT play in college admissions. He then answers a question on how to be more charitable with your wealth, and explains his prediction-making process.
Office Hours: Uber’s Super App Prospects, Private Wealth Managers, and When to Raise Capital
Scott answers a question about whether Uber is an appetizing acquisition target at its current valuation. He then offers advice on when to raise seed funding for your startup, and shares his wealth management journey from self-investing to hiring a professional.
Office Hours: LinkedIn’s Learning Opportunity, P&G and Unilever’s Gangster Move, and Making Cities Affordable
Scott answers a question about how LinkedIn can become a stronger platform for educational content. He then shares how consumer packaged goods giants can innovate to stay relevant, and offers his thoughts on what would make tech hubs more livable.
Office Hours: Meta Vs. the Metaverse, Private Equity Dominance, and Professional Coaches
Scott answers a question about why he’s semi-bullish on the metaverse, but bearish on Zuckerberg’s version of it. He then takes a question from a listener who wonders if private equity firms are becoming monopolies, and shares why mentoring is so important.