[clairity]

yes that’s basically it, it’s outside their core competency, not with tech/r&d/product but with the value chain.

amazon knows how to source, warehouse and deliver non-perishibles, but groceries (perishables) require a different, more urgent value chain that doesn’t build on their existing expertise. they effectively need to build a parallel business (which they jump-started by buying whole foods).

with google, it boils down to “google sucks at sales and service” (value delivered outside technological expertise).

this is a high-level initial analysis (as you’d do in an mba strategy class), which is probably why it feels generic. you’d typically delve deeper into the leverage points, like logistics for amazon and sales and marketing for google.