# The Watson Weekly

> Stop reading the headlines and start understanding the frameworks. The essential briefing for executives in Retail, Supply Chain, and AI. Join Rick Watson as he cuts through the noise to help you understand not just what is happening, but why it matters.

This file provides information about The Watson Weekly to help large language models understand and reference this publication's content.

## Posts
- [Shopify Needs a Wallet Before Somebody Else Builds One](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/shopify-needs-a-wallet-before-somebody-else-builds-one): Shopify is 78% payments now. The software is just how it gets you there. The only question left is whether it controls the wallet before someone else does, and Malachyte raises funding, Airtable acquired and more
- [AS Colour Built a Wholesale Site That Looks Like DTC — Here's How](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/as-colour-built-a-wholesale-site-that-looks-like-dtc-here-s-how): Behind the scenes: BigCommerce powering two distinct buying experiences, and Avalara automating tax compliance across wholesale and international markets. In front: 45% US revenue growth
- [88% Have Deployed AI. 6% Can Prove It Worked](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/88-have-deployed-ai-6-can-prove-it-worked): Eleven percent of consumers think they bought something inside an AI app. They didn't. The more uncomfortable number is the one Holden Bale saved for the end. Linda's Stuff and Thorne acquired, and more
- [Wayfair Grew 7.5% and Still Lost Money](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/wayfair-grew-7-5-and-still-lost-money): Wayfair grew 7.5% and its net loss was $1M — but the operating income story is more interesting than either number. And Apple files motions vs OpenAI
- [H&M's Resale Business Is 0.8% of Revenue. So Why Is Everyone Still Talking About It?](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/h-m-s-resale-business-is-0-8-of-revenue-so-why-is-everyone-still-talking-about-it): Nobody running a resale program has said whether 0.8% of revenue is proof it's working or proof it isn't. That ambiguity is doing useful work for them. Amazon completes investment in OpenAI 
- [Amazon's $62.6B Profit Quarter Was Mostly Accounting](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/amazon-s-62-6b-profit-quarter-was-mostly-accounting): Amazon's $62.6B in net income is mostly an accounting event — $53.4B of it came from the Anthropic stake, not the business. And.. Quince claims $2B in revenue, and more
- [Most Companies Don't Have a Brand. They Have a Product People Like](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/most-companies-don-t-have-a-brand-they-have-a-product-people-like): The ad ops job disappeared when the platform accumulated enough signal to make the call better than the analyst. Eric Miao thinks CRM is next, And.. ESW announces AI partnership, Yelp partners with ChatGPT, and more
- [UPS and PayPal Both Beat Estimates. Both Stocks Fell. Here's Why That's Right.](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/ups-and-paypal-both-beat-estimates-both-stocks-fell-here-s-why-that-s-right): And... Both UPS and PayPal beat estimates and raised guidance. Both stocks fell. The market was right. Two Brands, One Licensee, and a Royalty Model
- [Shein: $2B in the US, 14% Down, and Still Outspending Rivals on Ads](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/shein-2b-in-the-us-14-down-and-still-outspending-rivals-on-ads): The de minimis exemption is gone, Shein's US revenue fell 14 percent, and it is spending more on marketing to hold it. That is the part American apparel retailers should be reading, Altana bought Cervo AI, UPS, and Amazon earnings
- [Facebook Got Ten Good Years. AI Got Five Seconds](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/facebook-got-ten-good-years-ai-got-five-seconds): And.. Salsify acquired by a European PE firm, a Google lawsuit is dismissed, and more
- [10 Things to Check Before You Sell Internationally](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/10-things-to-check-before-you-sell-internationally): WooCommerce, Avalara, and ShipStation have created a 10-step checklist before going global
- [Nobody Can Tell Me What AI Projects They Cancelled](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/nobody-can-tell-me-what-ai-projects-they-cancelled): And.. AWS sends large bills to customers, Sleep Number acquired, and more
- [FedEx Has Two Petabytes of Data. Who's Paying for It?](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/fedex-has-two-petabytes-of-data-who-s-paying-for-it): Raj Subramaniam Calls FedEx the Referendum on Global Trade, Uber Acquires DeliveryHero, and Alphabet earnings
- [Shopify, PE, and OpenAI All Lost the Same Argument](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/shopify-pe-and-openai-all-lost-the-same-argument): And.. Uber To Acquire DeliveryHero, Ferguson, and Whatnot announce acquisitions
- [The Retail Tax You Already Paid For](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/the-retail-tax-you-already-paid-for): And.. Augmodo, Auger raises funding, Shopify rolls out WebMCP and more
- [Walmart Just Bought a Nuclear Plant's Output. That's a Supply Chain Move, Not an ESG One](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/walmart-just-bought-a-nuclear-plant-s-output-that-s-a-supply-chain-move-not-an-esg-one): And... What StockX Listings Actually Admits
- [Men's Wearhouse Made $217M. The Credit Fund That Owns It Is Cashing Out](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/men-s-wearhouse-made-217m-the-credit-fund-that-owns-it-is-cashing-out): Tailored Brands filed its S-1 last Friday. $2.5B in sales, $217M in net income — and the company carrying a $585M shareholders' deficit
- [Shopify Admits Its App Store Is Broken](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/why-world-cup-fans-can-t-stop-filming-buc-ee-s-and-why-that-viral-attention-is-worth-almost-nothing-): And...  OpenAI to Sunset Its Atlas Browser,  Resale Tax Exemptions, and more
- [Shopify Gets You to the Plateau Faster. What You Do Next Is on You](https://www.watsonweekly.com/p/shopify-gets-you-to-the-plateau-faster-what-you-do-next-is-on-you): And..  Kroger Acquires A Supermarket Chain, Square Partners With LLMs, Amazon To Send Developers, and more