Overreaction: Facebook Is Apparently Guilty Before Proven Innocent

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and chairman of Facebook, just posted a good piece about this whole “data scandal.”

Not only does it appear that Facebook plugged up holes in their system years ago — as in, Facebook is not asleep-at-the-wheel…

… but Cambridge Analytica, the company accused of abusing the data, is categorically denying that any data was even used.

So it will be nice to find out the real story here.

With this said, the market is all about valuing in today what it thinks will happen tomorrow.

And in that regard, I think the market has overreacted about Facebook.

Because, regardless of what is actually discovered, the most likely fallout will simply be greater regulatory scrutiny… but not just affecting Facebook, but all ad platforms… and, in fact, all advertisers… which is essentially the entire business complex on the planet.

And, practically speaking, if something affects everyone, will it really affect anyone?

Businesses will still have to advertise.  Facebook will still control over 2 billion sets of eyeballs.  Unless we see a mass exodus from Facebook properties (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus VR, etc), Facebook will still be raking in a lion’s share of ad dollars from advertisers desperate for any kind of targeting.

Honestly, I believe Facebook has more to fear from the changing generational preferences in sharing tools — as in, my friends use Facebook but their kids don’t — than they do from the government.

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I Guess No One Cared That The Democrats Used Facebook Data To Win Elections, Too

I’m still trying to figure out all this Facebook stuff.

Seems like everyone’s trying to figure out if whatever happened really did sway elections and destroy the democratic process as we know it.

Well, if it did, I guess no one cared when Obama and the democrats used Facebook data to help them win elections.

I’m just sayin’.

P.S.  If Putin did try to use social media to sway our elections, I wonder how he’s feeling about that now?  My guess is he’s probably thinking Hillary would have been a lot more predictable than Trump.  Good luck, Emperor Putin, trying to negotiate with a 4th grader!

Great Bitcoin Quote

On the 31st anniversary of “Black Monday” — where the Dow dropped 23% in one day — I have to share a great “sign of the times” quote.  I can’t find the source right now, but it went something like:

     ‘When the Dow drops 23% in one day, we call it “Black Monday.”  When Bitcoin drops 23% in one day, we call it Monday.’

;)

I’m Feeling Contrarian

Last week was a helluva week:

Tariffs… almost every single person in the world screaming “THEY’RE BAD!”… yet, we have more of them now*

Quitting… Gary Cohn resigns as White House chief economic advisor… something to do with the working dynamic he had with Trump

More quitting… rumors that Trump is going to “clean house” re: his staff… after such a short time in office, that doesn’t seem quite right

Meeting… Trump and Kimmy of North Korea are going to meet… then conditions to meet seem insurmountable

Scandal… given Stormy Daniels developments, looks like Trump might have some ‘splain’ to do to Melania… and the American people

Campaigning… Trump is helping out some special election in Pennsylvania… and overtly reminds us what an immature, embarrassing, divisive 4th grader we have for a President

The market should have been roiled (I love saying that :)… but we had an interesting jobs report on Friday:  More jobs… which is good… but less pay… which apparently is also good (although it sounds counter-intuitive) because it keeps inflation in check… which may keep rising interest rates in check.

All of those things should have meant “off-setting penalties” (so to speak).  But instead we rallied sharply on Friday… almost like the market said, “who cares how screwed up our politics  are?!”

Feels more manic than normal to me.

 

*Disclaimer:  If the U.S. is really getting jerked around in international trade, then I like what Trump did.  (Here and here.)  Problem is always can you really believe Trump?

Ha! Who Said This?

I just read something that had this quote in it:

But the government quickly mounted a propaganda push, blocking some articles and publishing pieces praising the party.

Is this a quote about the Trump Administration?

Nah, it’s just about, oh, CHINA TAKING A MASSIVE STEP BACKWARD AND ELIMINATING TERM LIMITS FOR THEIR DICTATOR, ER, I MEAN PRESIDENT.

But it’s telling — SCARY — that it’s exactly what the Trump Administration does.  EXACTLY.

 

P.S.  It’s also scary that Trump’s response was:

I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll give that a shot some day.”

People aren’t sure whether he was joking or not… it doesn’t matter… that’s something The President Of The United States — defender of the U.S. Constitution — doesn’t joke about in public… unless he wants to invite comparisons with a Chinese dictator!

My Dad Probably Had Something To Do With The Autodesk (ADSK) Pop Today

Stocks were one of the things my dad and I enjoyed together.  He really got me started in trading.  I couldn’t wait for the morning paper so we could pour over — in 3-point type! — what the stocks we were following did the day before.

One of the stocks he followed — literally about 50 years ago — was Transamerica.  Probably best known for its office building (the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, one of the world’s most iconic buildings), Transamerica was founded by A.P. Giannini… the guy who also founded the Bank of Italy… which turned into Bank of America… and the same guy that had his car designated as a firetruck so he could speed between business meetings.  (Now that’s intense!)

My little sister absolutely, positively believes that my dad still takes care of her from above.  She has dozens of examples of needing a bit of cash and then somehow magically finding some money in an old coat pocket, or getting a delayed commission check that she didn’t know she had coming, and so on.

I think I’m feeling a bit of that today, too.  I haven’t thought of Transamerica for a long time, and just today, I see a Transamerica ad… and, literally, I can’t remember ever seeing a Tranamerica ad… in fact, I wasn’t even sure the company was still in existence.

That, and the fact that IT’S MY DAD’S BIRTHDAY, makes me think my dad had something to do with the ADSK pop today.

Thanks, dad!  :)

 

 

 

Trump Is Right About Tariffs… And Maybe Now I’m Even Thinking Right In His Approach As Well… ?

Trump is getting blasted for — all of a sudden — unilaterally — announcing he’s levying a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminium.  Outside of the steel and aluminium industries, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone supporting his actions.  Heck, there are even executives within those industries that don’t support his actions.

I disclaimed in my previous post on this topic that I’m no expert on trade, but the more I hear about how the rest of the world treats us in trade, the more I continue to agree with Trump that it’s time to create a more balance playing field.

But now, I’m even liking the way he’s doing it.

Apparently many of the trade structures in place had their origins in the 40’s… for example, helping a war-torn Japan and Germany get back on their feet (and not repeating the mistakes of the aftermath of WWI), helping an embryonic China move into the modern world, and so on.

Huh?  That’s was about 80 years ago!  For the last decade I’ve watched — first hand — tech companies tip-toe around China… either burdened with requirements that make us non-competitive… or, worse, getting blocked altogether.

I’ve been writing about Autodesk recently.  It occurs to me that they can be, in fact, the poster child for this entire topic!

AutoCAD is the de facto standard technology tool for construction all around the world — except China.

Want proof?  While China is always a big topic in many companies’ earnings call, the word “China” wasn’t even mentioned in Autodesk’s last two earnings transcripts (here and here).

Why?  Because there’s a Chinese company called ZWCAD that makes an AutoCAD-clone product and guess which product the Chinese government wants sold in China?

A Chinese company, by the way, that was caught red-handed stealing AutoCAD intellectual property.

So I continue to be with Trump on this issue… and upon further reflection am happy he’s playing the “mad man” card and throwing it directly in their grill.

America is, after all, the world’s biggest market.  If we’re really getting taken advantage of, then it’s time we stopped getting taken advantage of.

I’m very surprised I’m about to say this — but maybe this one is within Trump’s wheelhouse:  His juvenile, bullying, play-ground antics may be the most effective way — may be the only way — to get everyone on the playground to play fair.

Happy 57th Birthday, George

George, our closest of close friend, would have been 57-years young yesterday.  He passed 13 years ago today.

I can only imagine the hours and hours and hours of conversations we would be having… about politics (Trump!)… sports (Jimmy G!)… entertainment (Oscars!)… anything and everything.

George, my friend, you are missed.

Trump Is Right About Tariffs And Wrong In His Approach

This is the time where having atrophied social skills hurts.

No one wants a trade war.  That’s why there are a bunch of WTO (World Trade Organization) rules in place to make sure “free trade” doesn’t turn into “cheating trade.”

Now I’m no expert on trade, but we’ve all heard for years that other countries don’t play fair with the U.S.

I chalk up some of this to whinging.

Other countries processes may just be kicking our ass… that certainly happened in the auto industry… they just created a better product.

I always get a kick out of the subsidies debate, too.  We cry foul when other countries do it, yet didn’t the U.S. just bail out GM and a host of other “strategically important companies” just a few years ago?  Of course we did.

But some of it is real.

Other countries really do steal our intellectual property (i.e., our process and product inventions).  Tactically they’ll make it difficult for imports to enter their countries (i.e., port harassments and such).  And strategically they’ll artificially influence currency to be in their trade favor.

But, so what?

If Trump thinks rules are being broken, then why not use his formidable communications platform to expose these AND clearly articulate the ramifications — repercussions — for non-compliance?

That would be awesome… and something I’d be proud to support.

Instead, he went right to the “nuclear” option…

…and instead of inspiring productive, even patriotic “play fair or else” conversations, he just got everyone — even his supporters — all riled up, talking about trade wars, and running around like chaotic and contrasting chickens with their heads cut off.

That not only roiled the markets but, more importantly, DISTRACTED FROM HIS MAIN MESSAGE.  Which is a shame because it was a reasonable one.

Open mouth.  Insert foot.