Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson
Episodes
Mythos and Project Glasswing, The Year of Anthropic Continues Apace, Q&A on the NYT, Altman, De-globalization
10 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew begin with reactions to Anthropic’s Mythos announcement and Project Glasswing, including thoughts on the security risks, the business...
(Preview) Mythos and Project Glasswing, The Year of Anthropic Continues Apace, Q&A on the NYT, Altman, De-globalization
10 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew begin with reactions to Anthropic’s Mythos announcement and Project Glasswing, including thoughts on the security risks, the business...
(Preview) Five Questions on Apple at 50 Years Old, The Axios Hack and AI Security, Q&A on Starlink, AI IPOs, AirPods
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew begin with Q&A on Apple after 50 years, including thoughts on Steve Jobs weaknesses, putting iTunes on Windows, the best Apple ads, Chi...
(Preview) A Spring Break Mailbag: RIP Sora, Ads and Surplus, F1 Going in Reverse, Elon Inc., Smartphone Parenting, and More
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew interrupt Stratechery’s spring vacation with a mailbag. First, they discuss the end of Sora, the difference between Sora and Instagra...
(Preview) OpenAI’s Enterprise Pivot, The Rise of Agents and Bubble Counterpoints, Nvidia Changes Its Inference Story
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew begin with the news that OpenAI is shifting away from “side quests” and allocating resources to the enterprise space, including Dro...
(Preview) Nerding Out with the Neo, Claude and the Integration Question, The End of Coding Language History
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew begin with the MacBook Neo, including Ben’s memory needs, Apple’s clever move to repurpose old iPhone chips, and the market for a $...
(Preview) The Anthropic Mess Continues, Frontier AI and the Uncertain Future of Law, Q&A on Netflix, Dating Apps, F1
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew react to a week of Anthropic discussion, including Dario Amodei’s leaked memo to employees, why a compromise is still possible, and a...
(Preview) The Roots of a Global Memory Shortage, Thick, Thin and Apple, Shopify is Fine, Actually
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew discuss the global memory shortage and answer a listener’s question: how did this happen? Topics include: What memory chips have in c...
(Preview) Spotify Spreads Its Wings, CapEx Explosions and Distinctions, Q&A on Viral AI Tweets, Anthropic, Giannis
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew react to a killer round of earnings for Spotify and Daniel Ek’s final earnings call, including thoughts on Spotify’s transformation...
(Preview) SaaSmageddon and the Future, Microsoft After a Market Correction, Anthropic’s Super Bowl Lies
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew react to a bloodbath for public Saas companies with thoughts on the future of software in the AI era, beginning with why companies choo...
(Preview) Meta’s Plans to Spend $135 Billion, The ‘AI Bubble’ Bubble?, Why Hyperscalers Should NOT Invest in TSMC
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Unpacking the latest round of Meta earnings, including Wall Street’s about-face after last year’s CapEx squeamishness, whether Zuckerberg’s astr...
(Preview) A Call to Action for TSMC’s AI Customers, Wall Street’s Netflix Anxiety, Q&A on Tech’s Cignetti, OpenAI, Starbucks
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
TSMC’s pricing power in the AI era, a brief history of TSMC’s culture and CapEx decisions, and ongoing capacity constraints that should be pushing...
(Preview) Apple And Its Lack of Vision, The Transformation of United Airlines, Q&A on Grok, Meta, and Streaming Economics
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A call for Apple to finally be confident in its Vision Pro hardware, a brief history of broadcasting sports on TV, and yet another reminder that immer...
(Preview) The Economy in the 22nd Century, Amoral Tech and Silicon Valley Micro-Culture, What Nvidia Is Getting From Groq
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew and Ben return from the holidays to discuss Ben’s Article AI and the Human Condition, and various responses to the preponderance of pessimist...
(Preview) An OpenAI Reminder, Netflix’s Expanding Appetite, Q&A on Remote Work, Taco Bell, and Data Centers in Space
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew and Ben begin with reactions to ChatGPT’s new image capabilities, a reminder of OpenAI’s strategic advantages vs. Google, Disney’s deal w...
(Preview) Netflix Opportunities and Anxieties, Merger Hurdles to Come, Hollywood’s Endgame and What Comes Next
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew and Ben talk through Netflix’s proposed $72 billion deal to buy Warner Brothers, including the logic for Netflix, the frictionless nature of ...
(Preview) OpenAI Declares a ‘Code Red,’ Alan Dye Leaves Apple for Meta, Questions on Tranium 3, Substack, and F1
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thoughts on OpenAI as Sam Altman declares a “Code Red” in response to Gemini 3, including real concerns about ChatGPT’s market position, why the...
(Preview) How Tech is Transforming the Suburbs, Q&A on Gemini, LLM Use Cases, Working With Your In-Laws, UAPs, and More
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The ways tech has improved suburban life, why urbanism may have peaked, and the first and second order effects of Tesla's full self-driving technology...
(Preview) Google Starts Dancing, The Winners and Losers of Gemini Week, OpenAI Has an Advertising Problem
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew begin with Gemini 3, what to make of its terrific benchmark results, and why TPUs provide Google a sustainable cost advantage in AI. Fr...
(Preview) How Apple Changed the Cellular Economy, What SpaceX Wants to Do With Spectrum, Airlines and Carriers, Yann LeCun Departs Meta
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew and Ben analyze SpaceX's nearly $20 billion in purchases by first touching on cell carrier history and the power dynamics that iPhones upended ...
(Preview) OpenAI Wants Help from the Government, Apple Taps Google for AI, Q&A on Bubbles, Amazon Groceries, and YouTube TV
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew begin with reactions to the OpenAI CFO discussing a federal "backstop" for prospective financing, as well as Sam Altman's recent commen...
(Preview) The Hidden Benefits of Bubble Economics, Microsoft and OpenAI Make a Deal, Notes on Taylor Sheridan, Sora, and Nexperia
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discussing Ben's interview with Substrate CEO James Proud, including the "insane" challenge he's undertaken as Substrate attempts to compete with TSMC...
(Preview) Understanding the AWS Outage, Resiliency Realities and Innovation Urgency, F1 Heads to Apple TV
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Celebrating the return of the NBA with reactions to Inside the NBA on ESPN before turning to an extended explanation of the technology underlying the ...
(Preview) How America Lost Rare Earths, Netflix Partners with Spotify and Bill Simmons, What Comes Next in the Robotaxi Wars
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew and Ben begin by examining the various structural forces and business decisions that led the U.S. and the West to cede rare earth mining and re...
(Preview) OpenAI Astride the World, Infrastructure Buildouts and Boundless Ambitions, More on Sora and Creation
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thoughts on OpenAI after a month of infrastructure and partnership announcements, including the differences between OpenAI and a Mag7 company, Ben’s...
(Preview) Sora 2 and an AI Video Boom, Meta’s Vibes One Week Later, Questions on TikTok, Solar Power, and the iPhone Air
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew and Ben begin with reactions to OpenAI's Sora 2, a new Sora app, and more thoughts on last week’s ‘Vibes’ release from MetaAI. Topics inc...
Emergency Pod: Instant Reactions to MetaAI Vibes
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ninety minutes after they wrapped a conversation about YouTube, Google and the future of AI video, Ben and Andrew reconvene to make Ben eat his words ...
(Preview) Video's Ongoing Victory Over Text, Google and YouTube's Abundance of Opportunity, Six Questions About an AI Bubble
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's show Andrew and Ben begin with a 60-second iPhone review before turning to YouTube and Google's abundance of AI opportunities. Then: Six qu...
(Preview) Meta Doubles Down on Smart Glasses, Nvidia Partners with Intel, Notes on the Hidden YouTube Colossus
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew and Ben react to the Meta Ray-Ban Display and the progress of the Meta Neural Band, including keynote FOMO, debating the value of handwriting w...
(Preview) New iPhones and an Absence of Awe, How Oracle Wins in the AI Era, Questions on MidJourney, Meta, and Armageddon
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thoughts on Apple's new generation of iPhones—which are genuinely exciting—and why the underwhelmed reaction from fans and analysts reflects choic...
(Preview) Google and Apple Avert Disaster, More on Kpop Demon Hunters and Hollywood, Mail on Microsoft, Adobe and ASML
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Talking through Google’s big win in court this week, including the confounding opinion from Judge Amit Mehta, a strategy that paid off for Google, a...
Why Nvidia Wants to Sell Chips to China, Answering Intel Objections, KPop Demon Hunters Conquers the World
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Unpacking the latest round of Nvidia earnings and the questions that loom over the company's future in China. Then: Answering a few of the most common...
Facebook is Dead; Long Live Meta, Does OpenAI Need to Log Off?, Questions on Bubbles, Blackberry, and Bell Labs
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew discuss a monster earnings report for Meta, the mechanics of how they got there, and the newfound trust the company enjoys from investo...
(Preview) AI and the Winner’s Curse, Google’s Genie 3 Breakthrough, Questions on Intel, Fertility Rates, and Banning Advertising
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew and Ben discuss Ben’s article on Apple and AWS in the AI era, including a call for Apple to make an acquisition, a bit of AWS history, AWS as...
Intel and the US Semi Future, Will Any Big Tech Incumbents Lose in an AI World?, Questions on Tea, Grok, and The Ringer
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Intel's future in leading edge manufacturing looks more uncertain, while prospects for the US semiconductor supply chain are beginning to look more pr...
(Preview) The Post-AI Internet Realities, How Future Creators Can Succeed, Mail on Startups, F1 Rights, and Alternative Rock
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The pay-per-crawl model for compensating content creators on the Internet, what sorts of content might win if that market actually materializes, and t...
Windsurf Madness, Big Tech Wins as the Silicon Valley Ecosystem Erodes, Cloudflare Wants to Fix the Internet Economy
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A week of news surrounding Windsurf and Google (and now Cognition), why the Silicon Valley ecosystem as we've known it appears to be coming to an end,...
(Preview) Apple Searches for an AI Partner, A Second Fair Use Ruling and Reckoning with Reality, The F1 Movie and Related Matters
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The considerations for Apple and its potential partners as the company considers external help with its project to supercharge Siri, a word about risk...
A Big Ruling on LLM Training and Midsummer Mail on NBA Salaries in Tech, Starting from Scratch in 2025, and More
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's show Andrew and Ben begin by breaking down a favorable ruling for Anthropic in a case concerning copyrighted material, the fair use doctrin...
(Preview) Justice for Software Engineers, The Various Futures of Vibe Coding, Questions at xAI and Progress for Tesla
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's show Ben and Andrew answer questions about the future of engineering jobs, the definition of vibe coding, Meta's AI upside, ChatGPT-led fas...
(Preview) Meta Continues Its AI Spending Spree, More Fun with OpenAI and Microsoft, ‘Apple in China’ and Related Matters
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew react to reports that in addition to adding Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, Meta’s now in advanced talks to hire prominent AI investors a...
(Preview) The Futures for Cursor and Perplexity, Multi Modality Dreams and Apple Possibilities, Normies Contemplate an AI Future
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the dust settles after keynote season, Ben and Andrew answer mailbag questions and talk through the future prospects for Cursor and Perplexity, mul...
Apple’s WWDC Retreat, Liquid Glass and One Question, Meta Puts $14.8 Billion Toward an AI Reset
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A variety of announcements at WWDC, and why Apple’s lack of jaw-dropping news or boundary pushing plans was the most sensible approach available thi...
(Preview) Nike’s Lessons on the Internet, Why Nike on Amazon Makes Sense, Meta and Anduril and Silicon Valley History
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s gone wrong for Nike and why a deal with Amazon is likely the best way forward, the history of the U.S. military and Silicon Valley, and ratio...
(Preview) Operation Spider's Web and Global Trade, More on io and Devices of the Future, The Allure of Sports on Streaming
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Reactions to Sunday’s shocking reports out of Russia and why the virtues of a shipping container may become more complicated in years to come. Then:...
(Preview) The End of the Ad-Supported Internet, Imagining What Comes Next, A Human-AI Agent PSA
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discussing Ben's Article on the future of the agentic web, including the virtues of the ad-supported internet we've enjoyed for the last three decades...
OpenAI Enters the Hardware Business, The Challenges and Opportunities for Jony Ive, Takeaways from Google I/O 2025
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew react to the news that OpenAI is acquiring Jony Ive's hardware startup for $6.5 billion worth of stock, including questions about the f...
(Preview) The U.S. Partners with the Middle East in AI, Why OpenAI Is Acquiring Windsurf, Google’s Side of the Platform Wars
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The implications of last week’s announcements on AI investments from Saudi Arabia and the UAE (and the repeal of the AI Diffusion rules), Ben’s th...
(Preview) Airbnb and Its Varied Ambitions, The High Agency Golden Era, HBO Max and the End of an Error
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Reactions to a revamped app and the expanded ambitions of Airbnb, an excellent email about practical considerations for leaders if AI accelerates a bi...
Apple and the Power of Platforms, AI Comes for Google Search, ChatGPT Comes for Higher Education
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Talking Platform Power and 15 years of App Store arguments, with topics including Ben's memories from Microsoft, the difference between regulating pla...
(Preview) What’s Next for Apple and the App Store, The Risks of Continuing This Fight, More on Meta and Its AI Vision
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben's Daily Update on Friday and Apple's argument appealing the order in Epic v. Apple, the risks facing Apple as they've continued to fight these bat...
(Preview) Meta and Its Many Plans in AI, Apple Gets Hammered in Court, The Costs of Waiting to Do the Right Thing
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A 360 degree look at Meta's AI efforts after Ben's sitdown with Mark Zuckerberg and Meta's launch of a standalone AI app. Then: Reactions to Wednesday...
(Preview) All About AI Companions: Personalization Upsides, Dystopian Downsides, AI Therapy, Advertising Tension, and Lots More
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After last week's conversation about AI for companionship, Ben and Andrew answer emails about the future of personalized LLM answers, speculative cost...
Apple and the Ghosts of Companies Past, Privacy at the Expense of Performance, The Cook Question
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Talking through Ben's article on Apple and the Ghosts of Companies Past, including Apple's religious commitment to privacy, untapped platform potentia...
(Preview) What Memory Can Do for ChatGPT, OpenAI's Future and Google's Circles Past, What College Football Can Teach Us About Tech
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Talking through the implications of memory capabilities for ChatGPT, the future of AI companionship, OpenAI's platform ambitions, and why Google Circl...
Three Eras of Facebook (and the Internet), The Problems with FTC v. Meta, The Realities of Perfect Competition
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tracing the history of Facebook to understand the challenges for the government in this month's FTC v. Meta trial, and thoughts on the nature of compe...
(Preview) Apple Gets a Temporary Reprieve, The End of Internet 2.0, An Incomplete Tech Blog Post Canon
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew and Ben discuss another weekend of pivots, updates and clarifications to the Trump trade policies, the big picture shifts and fundamental quest...
American Disruption, Tech’s Manufacturing History in Asia, The Power of Demand in an Uncertain Future
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew return to discuss Liberation Day whiplash, Apple’s history in China and tech’s history in Asia, and the various challenges inherent...
(Preview) xAI Buys X, The Bitter Lesson for Everyone, Everywhere, Google’s Only Hope in AI
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thoughts on both X and xAI in the wake of Friday’s announcement from Elon Musk, Chat GPT’s image capabilities and whether AI-adjacent SaaS compani...
(Preview) The Delights of Images in GPT, The Future of Graphic Design, Signal and Multiple Dimensions of Security
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Reactions to OpenAI's "Images in GPT," and thoughts on the Trump administration's Signal debacle, including a few points Ben neglected to emphasize ea...
(Preview) Why Google Wants Wiz for $32 Billion, Xbox One and Bygone Streaming Hardware Dreams, Immortality and Daylight Saving Time
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A look at the logic of Google's plans to purchase an Israeli cybersecurity firm for $32 billion, more tension between Apple, Google and the EU, and an...
(Preview) Deep Research and OpenAI's Business Model, A Counterpoint on White Collar Concerns, The Future of Cognition and Companionship
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After Ben's interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Andrew and Ben hold an impromptu symposium on AI and its implications, featuring questions from list...
(Preview) Should Apple Buy Perplexity?, What Apple Could Learn from IBM, Vision Pro and Its Vaporware
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Answering all your emails in the wake of Apple's intelligence catastrophe. Topics include: whether Perplexity should be an acquisition target, the lim...
Apple History and Apple Psychology, How Apple Should Capitalize On Its AI Potential, Why It Probably Won't
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Revisiting Apple's nadir in the 1990s, along with internal friction that boiled over after Steve Jobs' passing, and explaining why Apple execs should—...
(Preview) The Murky Future for the NBA, A Variety of Notes on Apple and AI, In Defense of Tech That Removes Friction
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A question about the future of the NBA as the league sees record revenues and declining ratings, several emails about Apple's continued adventures in ...
(Preview) YouTube Shall Inherit the Earth, NBC’s Peacock Strategy Then and Now, The Grim Future for Cable Networks
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Surveying the streaming landscape in 2025, including YouTube’s opportunity to solve problems for millions of frustrated entertainment consumers, Pea...
(Preview) Amazon Introduces an AI-Powered Alexa, Is OpenAI the New BlackBerry?, The Social Costs of Removing Friction
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew and Ben react to Amazon's announcement for an AI-powered Alexa that has been "100 percent re-architected," and then answer mailbag questions ab...
AI Promises and Chip Precariousness, Policy Recommendations and a Changing World, Concerns and Counterpoints
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A discussion of Ben's Stratechery article AI Promises and Chip Precariousness, including basic geography and evolving geopolitical considerations info...
(Preview) Apple’s Answer to the UK, Encryption History and Privacy’s Future, Waiting for Drone Delivery in the U.S.
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The history underlying Apple’s decision to pull its Advanced Data Protection feature from the UK market, criticisms of the UK, Apple and a few of Ap...
(Preview) Xi Jinping and China's Tech Companies, The Long-Run Implications of the Chip Ban, and a Pessimistic Outlook for Taiwan
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s special crossover Sharp Tech/Sharp China episode, Ben Thompson and Bill Bishop discuss the private enterprise symposium and Xi Jinping's ...
(Preview) Experimenting With OpenAI’s Deep Research, Another ChatGPT Moment, Won’t Someone Think of the Entry-Level Employees?
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Reactions to OpenAI's release of Deep Research, including the Deep Research contributions to Ben's Update on Tuesday, lessons from several other Deep ...
(Preview) Apple Abandons Its Smart Glasses, Google as the Yellow Pages, LLMs and the Overton Window
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Answering mailbag questions on a report that Apple has abandoned its plans for smart glasses, Google, OpenAI and advertising, why LLMs struggle with s...
The End of DeepSeek Week: Moneyball for AI, The Future of Compute Demand, Geopolitical Reality Checks, and More
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew and Ben reconvene to answer your emails on DeepSeek and its implications. Topics include: DeepSeek as the Oakland A’s and Big Tech as the Red...
(Preview) 72 Hours of DeepSeek Hysteria, What DeepSeek Means for Big Tech, Lessons on the Efficacy of Chip Controls
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Unpacking several days of dizzying reactions to DeepSeek, including a closer look at the costs of model development, why the heightened scrutiny looks...
(Preview) The End of OpenAI and Microsoft, Risks and Rationale of the Stargate Project, DeepSeek-R1 and Bitter Lessons for the Future
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On their 200th episode of the show(!), Ben and Andrew discuss the Stargate Project and what clarifies about the dynamics between OpenAI and Microsoft....
(Preview) A Long Weekend for TikTok, Preparing for Trump and an Era of Upheaval, LeBron James as an iPhone
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Reactions to 48 hours of TikTok twists and turns, and what the weekend’s news might tell us about the next several years (or decades) in Washington ...
AI’s Uneven Arrival, TikTok’s Potential Departure, Xiaohongshu and the Delights of Cultural Exchange
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Looking to digital advertising history for clues about AI’s impact on the economy, proposed frameworks for AGI and ASI, and why AI benefits are like...
(Preview) Meta’s Moderation Changes, Tech’s Evolving Political Calculus, The Importance and Difficulty of Maintaining Principles on the Internet
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Meta’s new approach to moderation questions, the context for an apparent shift to the right among tech leadership, and lessons from the last several...
(Preview) What AI Could Mean for Aggregation Theory, o3 and Moore’s Law, More Questions Than Answers as Tech Enters 2025
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben and Andrew return from the holidays to check in on the AI landscape. Topics include: Aggregation Theory and the return of marginal costs for hyper...
Holiday Mailbag: The Next Intel, Google’s AI Revival, Modern Sportswriting, TSMC Mugs, Tutoring Takes, and Lots More
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ending the year with a slew of great emails from listeners, including questions about the next U.S. flagship to fail, Google's advantages in AI, an iO...
(Preview) Google’s Willow Chip, Drones as a Platform and Anduril Follow-Up, Building Inside and Outside Silicon Valley
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A high level read on Google's quantum computing announcement and Google's R&D efforts generally, a listener's question about drones as a platform, fol...
(Preview) Anduril and the Lattice Partner Program, A New Direction for Defense Tech, OpenAI Introduces ChatGPT Pro
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Unpacking a quietly significant announcement from Anduril this week, the future of hardware and software in the U.S. defense industry, and checking in...
(Preview) Mailbag: Building Toward Self-Driving Computers, Capitalism and Its Trade-Offs, The Reels-ification of 'X'
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
First, a follow-up to Ben's article on Gen AI and the future of user interfaces, and then emails on architecture and structural incentives, Bob Noyce ...
Gelsinger Out at Intel, 20 Years of Structural Challenges and Strategic Blindspots, The Board and What’s Next
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A closer look at Intel's fall from grace in the wake of CEO Pat Gelsinger's sudden retirement and with the company facing a fresh round of questions a...
(Preview) Mailbag: AppLovin on a Tear, The Business of OnlyFans, Questions on OpenAI and Elon Musk
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Returning from the holiday week with a look at the explosive growth of AppLovin, various takeaways from the towering success of OnlyFans, Bloomberg hi...
(Preview) LLM Utilities, Google Disruption, Remote Work Angst, Family Tech Support, and a Thanksgiving Mailbag
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Celebrating the holiday week with emails from subscribers. Topics include: integrating LLMs into the modern workflow, human reactions to AI content, G...
America and the Trade Status Quo, Tariffs and What May Come Next, A Chance to Build in Tech and Beyond
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Talking through the evolution of the modern trade landscape, the implications of tariffs under a new U.S. administration, and Ben’s article on Monda...
(Preview) Monday Mailbag: Netflix and Its Mike Tyson Adventures; WBD Settles with the NBA; Lessons from Building Passport
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight and what might have gone wrong for Netflix on Friday night, a resolution of the NBA's months-long contract dispute with...
(Preview) Today’s Internet and Tomorrow’s AI Innovation, Progress Reportedly Slowing for New LLMs, The Vision Pro as a Productivity Device
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An emailer wonders whether 30 years of Internet investments and data were the bootloader for an AI transformation in the real world. Ben offers his ta...
(Preview) What Trump 2.0 Could Mean for Tech, Questions on Antitrust, EU and Growth, Elon Musk and the Election
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Looking to President Trump's first term for clues about what tech policy might look like for the next four years. Topics include: Apple's balancing ac...
(Preview) Monday Mailbag: The James Harden of Tech; Bandwidth and the Video Takeover; Gen AI and Ads; Political Donation Texts
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An email comparing James Harden to a tech company spawns several other tech and basketball crossovers. Then: A brief history of the bandwidth buildout...
Meta and an Abundance of AI Opportunities, When AI Integrates Into the Feed, AI for UI and One Emailer's Dismay
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Talking through Ben's piece on Meta and Abundance, including the past, present and future of Meta's value proposition to e-commerce advertisers, plans...
(Preview) Monday Mailbag: AI Abundance and Enterprise Questions; Automated Podcasts; Big Tech and China Tariffs; Reading Habits
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The open questions about competition in AI and enterprise software, emails regarding text-to-voice podcasts and replacing Andrew with an AI agent, and...
Understanding Stablecoins and Their Utility, Why Stripe is Buying Bridge, Virtual Reality for NFL Quarterbacks
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A closer look at the emergence of stablecoins, their utility in crypto and cross-border payments, progress in the crypto space that could lead to more...
(Preview) Monday Mailbag: The Value of the ChatGPT Brand; OpenAI and Its AGI Clause; Bitter Lesson Follow-Up; Orion and Big Tech Recruiting
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
OpenAI's latest valuation and the value of the ChatGPT brand, the AGI clause in the OpenAI-Microsoft partnership, a follow-up on Waymo's data and the ...
Tesla and the Road to True Autonomy, Strategy that Starts with the Dream, Regulation and Market Questions
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Understanding Tesla’s approach to an autonomous driving future, why some observers think Tesla is ahead of Waymo today, and questions about market s...
(Preview) Monday Mailbag: A Moment for SpaceX; After the End of the Beginning; Tesla's 'We, Robot' Event; Waymo Follow-Up
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Explaining the SpaceX breakthrough over the weekend and why it mattered, an email about the next decade in tech, Tesla's 'We, Robot' event and the cha...
(Preview) Google and the Search for Antitrust Remedies, Network Effects and Natural Monopolies, Waymo vs. Tesla for the Future of Transportation
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An injunction in the wake of the Epic v. Google case highlights the value of network effects in the app store market and the limits of antitrust law t...
(Preview) Waymo and Our Automated Future, Augmented Reality and Form Factor Questions, NotebookLM and Media Consumption
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ben's experience with Waymo and a question about AI automation implications, NotebookLM arrives and intrigues, follow-ups on the Orion conversation, a...
(Preview) Mailbag Monday: Meta and the Smartphone; Upheaval at OpenAI; Dossier Censorship; ESPN and Media Consumption
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A few follow-up questions on Meta's plans for the Orion glasses and the looming competition with Apple, surveying the past 12 months at OpenAI, a ques...