Jon Russell
Southeast Asia editor at @thekenweb—business reporting in SE Asia that's worth paying for: the-ken.com/sea 📧 [email protected] (I also send @asiatechreview) 🇬🇧
Last synced from Twitter 126d ago
Inside Apple’s Eroding Partnership with Foxconn
When Apple’s 2018 iPad Pro was undergoing production trials at the company’s largest outside manufacturer, Foxconn Technology, the Taiwanese firm gave Apple a list of how many workers it needed to develop the new product. That was standard procedure...
Visa’s UPI pain point - The Ken
UPI drove Visa’s share of debit card spends down from 56% in 2016 to about 40% now. Now, the $410 billion card network is fighting back
India's young workers are remapping its metros - The Ken
Older metros are have fewer jobs on offer and pose a higher risk of contracting Covid. Newer metros are now slowly taking their spots
What keeps Central Group retail empire offline? - The Ken Southeast Asia
Central Group has all the ingredients to be an e-commerce powerhouse, but after nearly 8 years of effort it still finds itself in a digital no man’s land.
Jon Russell
Amazon isn't the only e-commerce firm disrupting traditional retailers, I looked at Thailand's Central—a 73-year-old firm owned by a billionaire family
It's struggling to compete online despite M&A, developing a tech division and more
the-ken.com/sea/story/what… [chart @prajektor] pic.twitter.com/XQdCSVQM7L
128d
Ant Group to raise $34.5 billion valuing it at over $313 billion in biggest IPO of all time
Ant Group will raise $34.5 billion in its dual initial public offering (IPO) after setting the price for its shares on Monday, making it the biggest listing of all time.
Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
Jon Russell
Google is ramping up its Southeast Asia investments, its latest is a $350M deal for Tokopedia alongside Temasek
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Rushing towards the ground, AirAsia pulls a digital parachute
AirAsia, staring at a 98% airline revenue decline this no-fly pandemic year, is now putting all its eggs in the super app basket.
Jon Russell
"Even if it doesn’t become a super app, AirAsia is highly likely to survive longer and perhaps better than any of its peers shall the pandemic persist."
@kakayy assesses AirAsia's credentials as a super app
the-ken.com/sea/story/rush… @TheKenWeb
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Is Grab back where it started? - Beyond the First Order by The Ken
The high court has ruled in the case against Franklin Templeton India, social media can be used for good in public health, behavioural science explains your urge to buy a new phone, Facebook is suddenly concerned about privacy, and parent-child...
Jon Russell
Grab says revenue has returned to 95% of pre-Covid levels thanks to food delivery, now +50% of income—but how about its losses?
Food is costly/competitive, not ideal when profitability is key concern and Grab could owe Uber $2B if it doesn't IPO by 2023
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Turning point in Thailand: Queen's brush with protest
By Matthew Tostevin, Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Chayut Setboonsarng and Panu Wongcha-um
India doesn’t need better media - an 80 page free graphic story by The Ken
It’s a story about a distress sale. A 1955 law. And about ten incumbents who are working really hard to keep the reader out.
Data giveth and data taketh away - Strait Up by The Ken Southeast Asia
This week we’re looking at the Philippines’ new national ID programme in particular, and data gathering in general with examples from Singapore and India.
Mesut Ozil pins Arsenal exile on club's links to China
EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: The former Germany midfield player launched a scathing attack on his employers after he was left out of their Premier League squad.
Hyperlocal or hype? Gojek, Grab's slippery use of Covid to change tack
The pandemic pushed Grab and Gojek to extend their hyperlocal delivery network to more non-food items. Now it's about what sticks.
Jon Russell
Food isn't the only battle line that's grown in importance for SE Asia's ride-hailing firms during Covid-19—Grab and Gojek are fighting it out on hyperlocal shopping and groceries with Indonesia, as ever, the fiercest contest
> @nfreischlad reports
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Beware of central banks bearing red gifts - Beyond the First Order by The Ken
India's spectrum sharing tale that could learn a thing or two from the US, Nokia is eyeing the moon, farmers in India may be better off selling to a supermarket, and Alibaba's beefing up its physical presence.
The US$11-billion Byju’s juggernaut heads to US shores - The Ken
Byju’s products cater to ages five through 15 now, through a litany of acquisitions. To crack the US market though, it needs a product-market fit
Jon Russell
Can Byju's—the $11B edtech that's India's most-hyped startup—make it in the US?
It's a tricky road with a very different culture/challenge as @OBanerji explains in this definitive and thorough story on @TheKenWeb
134d
The persecution of the Uyghurs is a crime against humanity
It is also the gravest example of a worldwide attack on human rights
Reliance Jio's 500 million-user albatross - The Ken
Reliance Jio's move to hit the 500-million subscriber mark is a grandstand play. But it may not add significant revenues to its balance sheet
After earning its Stripe, PayMongo shoots for Philippine SMEs
With US$12M in the bag from US payments giant Stripe, PayMongo is targeting small and mid-sized businesses. It’s a huge opportunity but comes with risks
Jon Russell
Here's our deep look at PayMongo and how it caught the eye of Stripe, the $36B valued US payment giant
Stripe recently bought a payments firm in Africa so a full-on acquisition could be on the cards in the future
> @jumbalea has the details on @TheKenWeb
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