MBI and I recorded an episode of Never Sell recently (AI Doom, Veeva, Research and Writing) (Spotify, Apple, YouTube, RSS feed) Upcoming posts (in no particular order): Upwork, Adyen, PayPal, Gartner, Verisk, maybe Visa/Mastercard As discussed in last week’s scuttlebit, Danaher’s life sciences coverage can basically be boiled down to 3 types of products: 1) diagnostic instruments and assays that hospitals […]
[scuttlebit] Thermo Fisher update
Posted By scuttleblurb On In scuttlebits,[TMO] Thermo Fisher | Comments Disabled[scuttlebit] Danaher update
Posted By scuttleblurb On In [DHR] Danaher | Comments DisabledIt’s been nearly three years since I last wrote up Danaher and Thermo Fisher, so I figure it’s time for an update, especially with both companies announcing huge acquisitions recently. Let’s start with Danaher, specifically its Diagnostics division, which sells instruments and associated consumables that hospitals use to diagnose diseases. Though accounting for 41% of […]
[RYAN] Ryan Specialty – the middlemen have middlemen
Posted By scuttleblurb On In [RYAN] Ryan Specialty | Comments DisabledThis is a companion piece to the Kinsale writeup from a few weeks ago, where I explained some of the key differences between admitted and non-admitted insurance. Basically, admitted insurance covers familiar risks with well-understood parameters that are underwritten in huge volume, like standard home and auto. Non-admitted (or “excess & surplus”) insurance addresses quirkier, […]
S&P, Moody’s, and the limits of AI disruption: Part 2
Posted By scuttleblurb On In [MCO] Moody's Corp | Comments DisabledI briefly discussed credit ratings in my S&P write-up. It’s a great business, we all know that. But it’s also tied to issuance volume, which is highly cyclical and difficult to predict. Investors tend to dislike that kind of volatility even in deeply moated companies. Perhaps in an effort to smooth its earnings profile through […]
[scuttlebit] Wix at the AI Crossroads
Posted By scuttleblurb On In [WIX] Wix.com | Comments DisabledWhat are scuttlebits? Wix was conceived to democratize the creation of websites at a time when doing so required access to developers. Its Wix Editor presented a drag-and-drop interface that let anyone arrange design elements into a professional-looking web presence, no code required. Over time, Wix expanded beyond well site design, adding capabilities – accepting […]
S&P, Moody’s, and the limits of AI disruption: Part 1
Posted By scuttleblurb On In [SPGI] S&P Global | Comments Disabled(Part 1 concerns S&P Global; Part 2 will be published next week and discusses Moody’s) Moody’s and S&P Global have this year traded as a blended average of two different businesses: a deeply moated ratings franchise that is largely insulated from AI disruption, and a data and analytics operation that is squarely in its crosshairs. […]
Veeva, AI, and regulated workflows
Posted By scuttleblurb On In [VEEV] Veeva Systems | Comments DisabledI recently recorded my annual podcast interview with @LibertyRPF, where I offer some thoughts on the market and the business of newsletters. Enjoy! (Spotify, Apple, YouTube) A lot has happend since I wrote up Veeva nearly five years ago. At the time, Veeva, the dominant biopharma CRM, remained locked in a bitter dispute with IQVIA, […]
How Pool stacks up to Watsco
Posted By scuttleblurb On In [POOL] Pool Corp. | Comments DisabledMBI and I recorded an episode of Never Sell recently (Big Tech Earnings) (Spotify, Apple, YouTube, RSS feed) Having just written up Watsco, I thought I’d offer some thoughts on revisit Pool Corp. given the similarities between the two businesses. Pool Corp is a distributor of pool supplies and equipment. It sources ~200k SKUs from 2k+ suppliers and sells them to […]