The main points and key takeaways are as follows:

Similarities between the 4 companies:

• Clear product differentiation, ease of use and value for the end user with all their main products.

• Visionary capital: The ultimate gift, in our digital age, is a CEO who has the storytelling talent to capture the imagination of the markets while surrounding themselves with people who can show incremental progress against that vision each day. All the 4 companies have had great founder CEOs who were able to captivate the world with their ideas and new ways of thinking and innovating.

• Global presence: Facebook (now Meta), Google (now Alphabet), Apple - all three earn more than 50% revenue from outside USA. Amazon still gets majority of its revenue from US, but its also present in almost all countries just like the other three. This global presence signals that their business model is so universal that it transcends cultural boundary. The global presence also increases trust in their brand.

• Reputation: Be the company, to which when a bad thing happens (a bad product or service launch), it is said that good company had bad problems. The reputation should be so strong that a bad product / service can't take the reputation of the company down with it. Rather the other way around i.e. even an average product from the company should be able to create an above average demand just because of the company name and reputation. 

• Vertical integration: Keep control of the process and special control of the customer experience through distribution and last mile delivery. All the 4 companies love expanding vertically in their segments to have more control over the E2E experience they offer to their customers.

• Knowledge on customers: 

  1. Facebook is tracking more specific identities than Google, a huge advantage when selling the ability to reach a specific audience. It likely will know more about the connections and intersection of actions, emotions and relationships than any entity in history. 

  2. Amazon does an immense number of A/B test to see what works best, which product is selling best or is in demand.

  3. Google knows, before anybody else, what you are intending to do. What are the deepest questions which bother you and you want an answer for.

  4. Apple through its ecosystem of iPhone, iPad, apple watch, and MacBook controls majority of what its customers are exposed to. With this access, it also has the credit card details, music taste details, apple store (google play equivalent) details for all of its customers.

• Ability to attract and retain talent: The team with the best players attracts cheap capital, innovates, and can spark the upward spiral that pulls away from the competition.

• Geography: Be near the talent which can bring you the gold! Apple, Meta, Alphabet, all are near the biggest universities of the world which provide them constant access to the best and most innovative upcoming minds and biggest rich consumer market in the world which is US.

Differences between the 4 companies:

Apple:

• Is one of the few companies which are premium product seller and low cost producer. (High prices, low cost --> very high profits)

• Is the only of the 4, which has become a luxury brand but being sold to masses. It insulates it from competition and gives it an economic moat. 

• Apple can demand much higher prices for the same product because of its brand value. Consumers are so trapped in its brand power that you must buy it if you do not want to be treated as not cool enough. The absence of it by default makes you feel inferior to others who own it.

Facebook (or Meta):

• Meaningful relation with 2 bn+ people (only football has more but it took 150 years to do it, Meta will overshoot this connection in less than 20 years from its start). On an average people spend 35 mins on Facebook and 25 mins on WhatsApp and Instagram combined.

• No media company has Facebook's scale + ability to target consumer on behavior and customize offering.

• Fb has network effect. The more people use it, the more value it has and the more it increases its value.

Amazon:

• Jeff Bezos highlighted in one of his famous investment letters that what kills mature companies is an unhealthy adherence to process.

• Amazon is so good at selling its products that if you want to buy something, you rather search it directly on Amazon than on Google.

• Amazon has tremendous command and exposure to your purchasing habits.

Google (or Alphabet):

• Google is like god: it doesn't only know what we are doing but also our intentions. Every 6th question on google search is a new question. Google can predict share price, crimes, all the other important events before it happens if it wants to.

• Meta only knows what we share, Google knows what we do even when we do not share just by tracking our searches and our digital profile created by anybody and everybody in the world!

• Google and Amazon are finishing the brand era by showing people the truth of their favorite brands. Their technology is favoring the brain in this battle of heart vs brain. Google shows true reviews, Amazon shows true reviews of products. Heart can't win any more and thus brands with low performance can't either.

Some extra points:

• Facebook suggests the “what”, while Google supplies the “how”, and Amazon the “when” you will have something.

• Facebook and google get all their content from users, free of cost. On the other hand, companies like Netflix ($6 bn in 2017 on content) and HBO and other media houses spend millions for creating new content.

• Sans Facebook and Google, all other digital media now have joined the traditional media like newspapers, radio, and broadcast TV  in their continuous decline.

• Google appeals to brain in its pursuit of search for knowledge, Amazon to human brain's hunter-gatherer tendency, fb to heart (connecting people) and Apple to sexual tendencies (looking more sexy, cool, innovator)

• What are the 4 companies known for:

  1. Amazon is known for its focus on customer satisfaction and its willingness to take risks and experiment with new business ventures.

  2. Apple is known for its focus on design and innovation, and its ability to create a strong brand identity.

  3. Facebook is known for its ability to gather and analyze vast amount of people personal data which they share.

  4. Google is known for its focus on innovation and its use of data to drive decision-making.

• The four have disrupted traditional industries and have had a significant impact on the global society and economy.

• Because of their tremendous power, there are also many challenges and controversies that these 4 companies have faced, including issues related to privacy, antitrust, and labor practices.

Some key things that companies can learn from these 4 companies:

• The importance of customer focus: Amazon, in particular, is known for its focus on customer satisfaction, and this has been a key factor in its success.

• The value of innovation and design: Apple's focus on design and innovation has been a major contributor to its success, and this can be a key differentiator for businesses in any industry.

• The power of data: Both Facebook and Google have used data to drive their decision-making and growth strategies, highlighting the importance of data in today's business landscape.

• The challenges and controversies facing tech giants: The Four have faced numerous challenges and controversies, including issues related to privacy, antitrust, and labor practices. It's important for businesses to consider and address these issues as they rise to prominence.

• The future impact of the four: These four have already had a significant impact on the global economy and society, and they will likely continue to shape the future in ways that are both positive and negative. It's important to consider the long-term implications of their actions and policies and align your business strategy accordingly.