Snapchat launches Spotlight, its TikTok clone

Snapchat has launched Spotlight, a video tab within its app that, like TikTok, distributes videos based more on how popular they are than on who created them. 

TikTok's explosive growth has got the attention of the dominant American social media platforms. In August, Facebook launched its TikTok competitor, called Reels. Several other apps like Byte, Dubsmash and Triller are trying to win over TikTok users with similar products.

According to Axios, Snapchat realized it had to create something like Spotlight when it saw users creating videos with the Snap camera and then putting them on other platforms that had this type of algorithm. More than 4 billion videos are taken using Snapchat's camera on average daily, and those videos and pictures are often cross-posted elsewhere.

Free #MustHave Design Resources

This list sums up the best free web design resources we could find on around the web! We hope you’ll find the information as valuable and inspiring as we did. If you do, please share on social media!

Salesforce Snags Slack!

Cloud computing giant Salesforce will be acquiring workplace chat app Slack, the two companies announced on Tuesday. The deal, rumblings of which began surfacing last week, is one of the most consequential acquisitions in the business software industries in recent years and Salesforce’s biggest purchase ever.

Salesforce is paying $27.7 billion for Slack, according to the press release. “Under the terms of the agreement, Slack shareholders will receive $26.79 in cash and 0.0776 shares of Salesforce common stock for each Slack share, representing an enterprise value of approximately $27.7 billion based on the closing price of Salesforce’s common stock on November 30, 2020,” the announcement reads.

In 2016, Salesforce bought Quip, which is documents with chat added, so there could be a synergy in it also owning Slack, which is chat with documents added. 

The $64K question is what will happen to the data inside Slack? Will Salesforce commit to retaining Slack’s data privacy policy? If not, Slack’s customers may be in for a surprise.

Crush Disruption - Remember Forwards Like the Red Queen

Red Queen? We don't mean The Queen’s Gambit, although Netflix knocked it out of the park with that one. We’re thinking Alice, rabbit holes, Mad Hatters and this quote by the Red Queen, "It's a poor sort of memory that only works backward." 

Having a memory that works forward is what ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky meant when he said he skates for not where the puck is, but rather where the puck is going to be. Some call that ability “Seeing around corners.” Same horse, different color.

Rita McGrath’s book, "Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen" proposes that the key to seeing around corners is to be able to spot “inflection points.” To avoid being taken by surprise by these, you need to be exposed to what is “happening at the edges.” So, how do you check out what is happening at the edges? We made you an exec. summary:

• Ensure you connect to people at the edges of your company. 

• Go out of your way to include diverse perspectives when thinking about the implications of the future. 

• Empower agility, but create balance. 

• Foster little bets that are rich in learning. 

• Pursue direct contact with the environment. 

• Make sure your people are incented to hear about reality. 

• Realize when your people are in denial. 

• Expose yourself and your organization to where the future is unfolding today. 

Follow: @RGMcGrath

Tech. leaders crush disruption by remembering forwards like the Red Queen!