Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Tim Armstrong wants to create Coachella, but for retailers. What does that mean?

Armstrong is getting into the events business. We think.

Tim Armstrong onstage at Code Commerce 2019 in Las Vegas.
Tim Armstrong onstage at Code Commerce 2019 in Las Vegas.
Tim Armstrong at Code Commerce 2019 in Las Vegas.
Adam Tow

Until recently, Tim Armstrong was the CEO of Oath, the joint AOL-Yahoo mashup owned by Verizon that didn’t end very well.

Now he’s the CEO of the dtx company, an investment company focused on pumping money into small direct-to-consumer retail brands.

But Armstrong hasn’t left behind the worlds of media and entertainment altogether. At least that’s what it sounds like. Dtx has plans for some kind of retail experience — another merger, in fact — that Armstrong has called a mix of the Coachella music festival and the Consumer Electronics Show.

Huh?

“I was intentionally vague,” Armstrong said about his previous comments on Sunday night at Recode’s Code Commerce event in Las Vegas. “Strangely vague.”

Here’s how Armstrong described the events after some prodding from Recode’s Jason Del Rey and Kara Swisher.

“It’ll be a programmed entertainment and retail experience,” he said. “Everybody’s launching a flagship store in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London. There are tremendous consumers in other parts of the country and in the world who would benefit greatly from having direct interactions with those brands.”

So Armstrong envisions a festival — or a show or a conference or something — where online-only or online-mostly retailers get a chance to interact with people who don’t necessarily live in the world’s biggest cities.

Will it be like a giant mall?

“Probably less mall,” he said.

So outdoors, like on a grass field?

“Sand, grass, turf.”

Will there be entertainment?

“Entertainment, food, beverage, retail.”

Will people pay?

“People will pay and we’ll sell things.”

Well, it’s an interesting idea. Though it is, as Armstrong said, “strangely vague.” Armstrong says he’s talked about his experience idea in meetings and people will respond by asking if he’s seen the recent Netflix and Hulu documentaries about the Fyre Festival, which was an epic disaster.

“We’re hiring people who are experts at it,” he said reassuringly.

The concept, though, at a very high level, is not all that bizarre. As more and more people shop online, direct-to-consumer retailers have grown tremendously. And while it may seem counterintuitive, the prevalence of online shopping can actually create a need for more in-person retail interactions. We’ve seen some direct-to-consumer brands open physical retail stores in places like Plano, Texas. Even direct-to-consumer superstars such as Warby Parker and Casper have been moving into brick-and-mortar.

“Having someone have a physical interaction with brands or experiences and what it does with their online or mobile consumption is really important,” Armstrong said.

But whether Armstrong’s vision turns out to be Beychella or a cheese sandwich remains to be seen.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel