Unbundling is a neologism to describe how the ubiquity of mobile devices, Internet connectivity, consumer web technologies, social media and information access in the 21st century is affecting older institutions (education, broadcasting, newspapers, games, shopping, etc.) by “break[ing] up the packages they once offered (possibly even for free), providing particular parts of them at a scale and cost unmatchable by the old order.” Unbundling has been called “the great disruptor.”

Every year Benedict Evans, former Andreessen Howoritz partner and now independent analyst, produces a big presentation digging into macro and strategic trends in the tech industry. This year, The Great Unbundling.

Covid brought shock and a lot of broken habits to tech, but mostly, it accelerates everything that was already changing. 20 trillion dollars of retail, brands, TV and advertising is being overturned, and software is remaking everything from cars to pharma. Meanwhile, China has more smartphone users than Europe and the USA combined, and India is close behind

• technology and innovation will be much more widely spread. For that and lots of other reasons, tech is becoming a regulated industry, but if we step over the slogans, what does that actually mean? Tech is entering its second 50 years.

I find this work to be worth studying. It draws a detailed, informed picture of what happened in technology and the economy these last years. It also offers insights, with some foresight, into what might come next.

Find the presentation at ben-evans.com