Sign up for the Daily Newsletter, sent exclusively to our premium subscribers. We break down the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community. Get the newsletter in your inbox everyday with a premium subscription.
Hello reader,
I watched Dune: Part Two last week and it was absolutely incredible. In some respects, it feels a lot like this generation’s Lord of the Rings – books with an intense and dense story as well as amazing world building adapted into perfectly executed films.
If you’ve watched either or both of the Dune films, I highly recommend watching this video as well, in which the director Denis Villenueve explains how he shot the famous Gob Jabbar scene.
It shows how well he understands the source material and how his creativity is such a boon in turning strange, foreign concepts into visually entertaining scenes on screen.
The character of Paul Atreides is amazing and I especially love how he’s written in the books. Right now, I’m about partway through the third book, and one of the most fascinating plotlines is his extreme character growth.
He goes from a young, unprepared boy into a messianic figure, before settling into the role of an emperor who’s extremely powerful but is slowly resigning himself to an inevitable outcome.
We don’t often see characters evolve on this level, but when authors or writers can pull it off well, it’s always cool to see how someone can change so much over the course of a series.
Back in the business world, Zalora seems to be undergoing a similar degree of change. No longer just a marketplace, the firm is now looking to walk down another path as an ecommerce enabler for Southeast Asia and, perhaps, beyond.
Today we look at:
- Zalora’s road to becoming an ecommerce enabler
- The US House’s new TikTok bill
- Other newsy highlights such as Animoca Brands’ latest investment and Carsome’s new COO
Premium summary
A golden path
Image credit: Timmy Loen
With players like Shopee and Lazada already duking it out in Southeast Asia, I’ve always wondered how Zalora has been able to stay in the ring all these years. Turns out, its strategy to be an ecommerce enabler instead of solely competing in the marketplace arena has been a pretty nifty one. Let’s see how it’s playing out.
The great wall of US
Sneak peek of who you’ll meet on May 30
Quick bytes
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
