Quibi’s Short Life and Sudden Death: The Information’s Tech Briefing

The sudden death of Quibi, the short-form video streaming service launched by Hollywood veteran Jeffrey Katzenberg six months ago, is sure to generate plenty of “I-told-you-so’s” from people in the entertainment and tech industries. For weeks, we’ve been hearing from senior entertainment executives that Quibi’s troubles were entirely predictable, based on the flawed nature of the concept.

It’s hard to argue with them. Perhaps Katzenberg didn’t fully understand the market he was aiming for. To his credit though, he was willing to put his reputation on the line to try something new. That’s something the big entertainment companies aren’t known for.