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The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

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Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing

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1

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

2

Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing

3

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
TechApple

Apple Trades ‘Like a Steel Mill On Its Way Out of Business’

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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February 7, 2016, 11:04 AM ET
By Jschnalzer at English Wikipedia
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My headline is borrowed from venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, who tweeted the phrase before the latest round of earnings reports, accompanied by a chart labeled “Reality Distorted.”

I’ve adapted and updated his chart to reflect post-earnings PE ratios and added a second factor: Leveraged free cash flow.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with Amazon (AMZN), Facebook (FB), or Alphabet (GOOGL). They are well-run companies with room to grow.

Apple (AAPL) is also a well-run company with room to grow. The difference is that Apple has stopped growing, at least for now. Meanwhile, it has a track record of hit products, owns the most valuable segment of every market it’s entered, and is making money faster than it can spend it.

That’s got to be worth something.

For more on Apple, watch:

See also: Apple’s Bizarre Valuation: Something’s Got to Give

About the Author
By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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