1. What problems did Lyft face when trying to expand in the Boston market? Why do you suppose Uber is winning in Boston and many other cities?
2. Why do some collaborative consumption firms choose to take possession of inventory rather than allow the "crowd" to provide peer-to-peer style?
3. How do Airbnb's total number of accommodations compare to the room count for Hilton?
4. How does Airbnb ensure safety and encourage trust among transacting parties?
5. Is Uber good for the economy or bad? Justify your answer.
6. How does Uber cut costs compared with traditional taxi and limo fleet operators?
7. Firm's values fluctuate over time. How much is Facebook "worth" today? Has the firm's value gone up or down since its IPO? Why? Was investing in Facebook at IPO a move that paid off or that has resulted in losses?
8. What is the social graph? Why is Facebook's social graph considered to be stronger than the social graph created by the sites of its early competitors?
9. Does Facebook have to worry about copycat firms from the United States? In overseas markets? Why or why not? If Facebook has a source (or sources) of competitive advantage, explain these? If it has no advantage, discuss why.
10. If a firm removed user social media content because it was offensive to an advertiser, what kinds of problems might this create? When (if ever) should a firm remove or take down user content?