California’s marquee industries are two halves of the same brain

19 November 2019 by Steve Blum
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Egghead

Disney and Apple launched online video services this month, with both companies falling short of perfection. It’s interesting to compare the two platforms, dubbed Disney+ and Apple+. One is the brain child of an entertainment giant struggling with technology, the other was created by a tech giant struggling with content.

When Disney+ went live last week, demand outstripped capacity and users were locked out. Apple+, on the other hand, had no such problems. Its programming could be seen by anyone interested enough to log in. Unfortunately, the content offered has not excited anyone. It was reckoned workman-like, at a moment when Apple needed blockbuster pizzazz to break out of the over-the-top pack.

Disney’s server problem was solved in hours, if not minutes. By now, I doubt many people remember it. Fixing technical issues is a left brain, linear process. Apple, on the other hand, has to contend with a chaotic, right brain challenge. You don’t create world class content by assigning more engineers and spinning up more servers. So now there’s talk of former HBO chief Richard Plepler doing a deal with Apple – he has a proven track record. That’s no guarantee in the entertainment business, but it’s the way to bet.

Silicon Valley and Hollywood have a lot more in common than people realise. In both ends of California it’s about finding executives who can manage very talented, highly mobile people who can create marvels out of thin air. A track record of success, even if liberally sprinkled with failures, will attract investors in Los Angeles and San Francisco alike. Both cities are magnets for risk-tolerant capital, outrageous concepts and creative talent. The difference is that in Silicon Valley fortune seekers of modest gifts end up in cubicles making a hundred grand or two a year, while in Hollywood they’re waiting on tables.

For now, anyway.