Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson

Meta Previews an Augmented Reality Future, Orion and the Apple Vision Pro, A Call for More Live Keynotes

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An episode of reactions to Meta Connect 2024. Topics include: the lively atmosphere during Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote, Ben’s experience with the Or...

(Preview) Mailbag Monday: Sports Gambling Apps; PlayStation’s New Price Point; Robotics and AI Upheaval; Apple’s ‘Intelligence’ Ads

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Answering listener questions on a tidal wave of sports gambling advertising, Sony’s strategy for the PlayStation Pro, robotics and the potentially d...

(Preview) OpenAI's Latest Model Is Not Like the Others, Copilot Pages and Salesforce Agents, When AI Moves from Copilots to Airplanes

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Understanding the way LLMs have worked and why OpenAI's o1 model appears to be different, reactions to Microsoft's Copilot Pages and Marc Benioff's vi...

(Preview) Mailbag Monday: Politics as Monoculture; Startup Anxiety in Europe and China; WhatsApp Spam

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Questions about politics as America's most dominant pop culture franchise, recommendations for the EU, and more.

The Strategic Logic of the iPhone 16, Services Upside and Downside, Steve Jobs and Modern Apple

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What Apple's iPhone event signals about priorities for the company, a digression on the App Store and its attendant risks, and thoughts on what Steve ...

(Preview) Mailbag Monday: Three Apple Questions, Intel and Founder Mode, 230 Follow-Up, China’s Chip Ambitions

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Answering questions about Apple’s Woj, a cornucopia of iPhone options, founder mode, and more.

Understanding Intel’s Decline, Searching for Structural CHIPS Solutions, The Future of Section 230 Protections

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracing the history that led to the decline of Intel, why Ben is conflicted about the potential solutions to the company's woes, and a Third Circuit v...

The Arrest of Pavel Durov, Encryption Explanations and Moderation Questions, Mark Zuckerberg’s Letter to Congress

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The charges against Pavel Durov in France, the differences between encrypted messaging apps and Telegram, the philosophical questions underlying moder...

(Preview) Mailbag: Disney’s Taylor Swift Expansion, Canva and IPOs, Perplexity in Paris, SaaS for Cars, The Online Recipe Economy

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Answering listener questions about Disney's massive investment in cruises, follow-ups on Canva and Sarbanes-Oxley, a new Chick-Fil-A streaming service...

(Preview) Canva and the Disruption Ideal, What AI Could Mean for Graphic Design, Fubo and Venu and FUBAR Post-Cable Plans

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A conversation about Canva and lessons from its growth story, the future of graphic design and visual learning, and a word about tech IPOs in the mode...

(Preview) Mailbag: Smartphone Subsidies, Apple Intelligence and Search, Surgeon Groupchats, The Metaverse and AI

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Answering listener questions on the BNPL model for smartphones, whether Apple employees hate the App Store policies, Apple Intelligence and search, an...

(Preview) Computing History and Android’s Future, More Adventures with Apple Policies, The Olympics and a Cord Bag Tour

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The history of PCs and smartphones as context for Google's integrated strategy for Android, and reactions to Apple's plans for the NFC chip and its ap...

(Preview) Competing Principles and U.S. v. Google, What’s Next for Apple, Questions on Aggregators, Elon and Crunchyroll

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The implications and inherent tensions of this week’s verdict in U.S. v. Google, Apple and a mountain of services revenue suddenly in jeopardy, and ...

(Preview) Nike as a Tech Story, Follow-Up on Meta and the Hyperscalers, Peacock and the NBC Olympics Strategy

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What Nike's recent struggles can teach us about maintaining culture and competing in e-commerce, plus questions on Amazon and Temu, Meta's threat to A...

(Preview) Llama 3.1 and Zuckerberg’s Open Approach, Lessons from the Crowdstrike Mess, Understanding Netflix Strategy and Apple Spending

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Meta debuts a powerful new LLM, Mark Zuckerberg makes the case for an open approach to AI, and Ben explains the Crowdstrike mess and why this episode ...

(Preview) What Trump Could Mean for Tech, X as a News Source, Two Testimonials from ChatGPT Users

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Projecting antitrust policy in a second Trump administration and explaining the splintered interests among little tech and big tech, checking in with ...

(Preview) Once More Unto the EU Breach, No Apple or Microsoft on OpenAI’s Board, Paramount Wants to Be a Tech Company

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ben and Andrew return with thoughts on Apple's calculus in the EU, why better App Store policies may not have mattered, perspectives from US and EU ci...

(Preview) Perplexity and the Media, Burning Furniture at the Structural Nadir, The EU and the Costs of Ambiguity

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Perplexity and the choices facing publishers in the AI era, revisiting the decisions and structural forces that led to media struggles in the online e...

The FTC Sues Adobe, Keynote Season and Progress, A Few More Apple Questions

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lessons from the FTC's lawsuit alleging that Adobe has violated consumer protection laws in its cloud services business, a question about the vibes at...

(Preview) Your WWDC Emails: GenAI for Work Email, Developer Questions, Strategy for OpenAI, Implications for Nvidia, and More

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Answering listener questions in the wake of WWDC, including thoughts on AI for Outlook, whether Apple competitors will allow data access to Apple Inte...

Apple Gets Intelligence, Unpacking the Partnership with OpenAI, What WWDC Can Tell Us About AI Adoption

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Reviewing all things WWDC in 2024, including the introduction of Apple Intelligence, why Apple's vision for mainstream AI was compelling, the Apple pa...

(Preview) Microsoft’s Recall Mess, The Future of Streaming and Advertising, Follow-Up on Dark GPU Theory

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A look at Microsoft Recall and the implications of the security changes that were announced this weekend, follow-up questions on what Netflix may buil...

(Preview) What Walmart Could Offer to Advertisers, Walmart's Momentum in E-Commerce, AI Skepticism and the Logic of a Bubble

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A look at Walmart’s challenges and opportunities as it builds an ad business, how Walmart became a differentiated competitor to Amazon, and a questi...

Generative AI and Hardware Upgrades, Google History and the Dark GPU Theory, Amazon’s Logistics Long Play

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A question about generative AI and the hardware powering voice assistants, projecting the GPU future with the dot com bubble as context, and thoughts ...

(Preview) Big Questions About an AI Future, The State of LLMs 18 Months After ChatGPT, AI and Google/Apple/Microsoft

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A question about the spectrum between LLMs and AGI spawns a conversation about where and how AI might introduce upheaval in the workplace, what TSMC c...

(Preview) Can Microsoft Make PCs Cool Again?, What Windows is Offering Developers, Scarlett Johansson and OpenAI

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Microsoft Build conference and the introduction of Copilot+ PCs, the potential for Windows as an AI platform that gives developers more certainty,...

Netflix Gets the NFL for Christmas, The Streaming Wars Become the Bundle Wars, Leagues and Studios and Internet Realities

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A variety of notable Netflix developments over the past few weeks, Hollywood's continued move to a (kinda) rebundled future, and what sports leagues a...

(Preview) Good and Bad from Google I/O, Google and the Digital Economy, Mail on LLMs and SpaceX

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Reactions to two hours of Google on stage this week, thoughts on what an AI makeover for search will mean for businesses that rely on Google for custo...

(Preview) OpenAI and the Latency Leap, Questions About an Apple/OpenAI Partnership, A Defense of AI Dating Agents

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Reactions to the GPT-4o demo, a reminder that OpenAI looks more and more like a consumer tech company, and questions about a potential partnership wit...

A Disastrous (and Resonant) New iPad Commercial, The Future of Google Search, Tom Brady and the Netflix Roast

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The iPad commercial that made the Internet angry this week, a question about Google search spawns thoughts on the various futures of Google's business...

(Preview) Apple in China and Japan, The iPad as a Mac Replacement, Apple and the Growth Premium

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A question about Apple sentiment in China spawns memories of Apple's entrance to Japan, the utility of the iPad as a Mac replacement (and why the Visi...

(Preview) The NBA Creates a Rights Bidding War, The Optimal NBA Schedule, RSNs and the Future of Customer Acquisition

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Parsing the latest reports on the battle for the NBA's next round of broadcast rights, a question about the NBA schedule and how the league should thi...

(Preview) Virtual Reality and the Innovator's Solution, Meta Embraces the Android Approach, Uber as an Aggregator

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ben proposes a potential update to Clayton Christensen's theory of disruption, why the latest round of Meta market skepticism is not as crazy as the l...

(Preview) TikTok and the E-Commerce Giants, The FTC Moves to Ban Noncompete Agreements, 'Bluey' and Streaming Leverage

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why TikTok makes more sense for Wal-Mart and Amazon than Oracle and Microsoft, and the FTC's ban on noncompete agreements prompts reflections noncompe...

(Preview) What Taylor Swift Can Tell You About Netflix, What Meta Wants from Generative AI, Google and the Moonshot

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A closer look at Netflix after news that the streamer will stop reporting subscription numbers in 2025, a question about Meta’s AI ambitions, and th...

10 Years of Stratechery: Best and Worst Takes, Creating on the Internet, AI as a Threat, and Memories of Day 1

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrating 10 years of Stratechery as a subscription business with 10 questions about analysis, creating on the Internet, what's coming with AI, and ...

(Preview) When AI Hits Digital Advertising, What the IT Era Can Teach Us About AI's Impact, Chip Questions and EV Mechanics

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The advertising possibilities that AI can unlock for Meta, Google and Amazon, why TikTok is interested in AI to create digital influencers, and lookin...

(Preview) Mailbag: AI Hardware, NBA Newsbreakers as Aggregators, Reels vs. Shorts, The Best Approach to Age Verification

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew and Ben turn to the emailers and answer questions on Jony Ive's post-Apple adventures, structural parallels between tech and the rise of journa...

Amazon and the “Just Walk Out” Parable, Mythbusting on Meta and TSMC, The XZ Backdoor and Its Implications

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Updated thoughts on Amazon rolling back “just walk out” in grocery stores, context for a viral Meta tweet and a year of pessimism surrounding TSMC...

(Preview) Apple Flunks a Vision Pro Test, Microsoft Unbundles Teams from Office, AI and Energy Consumption

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ben reviews Apple’s latest immersive video demo, what a paucity of VR content says about Apple’s commitment to the AVP, Microsoft’s move to glob...

New Laws to Regulate Big Tech, The Distinction Between Platforms and Aggregators, Apple’s API and Accessories

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Follow-up on Apple and the DOJ, including new antitrust laws Ben would like to see, distinctions between platforms and aggregators in a regulatory con...

(Preview) US v. Apple, Specific Allegations and Broad Implications, The Decisions that Made Apple a Target

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A closer look at the US v. Apple complaint, including the good and bad of the introductory rhetoric, debate over the notion that consumers have co-sig...

Nvidia Searches for a Moat at AI Woodstock, The Blackwell B200, Microsoft’s Deal with Inflection AI

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An AI day for Sharp Tech. Topics include: Nvidia’s GTC and the Blackwell B200 GPU, Nvidia’s strategic calculus after achieving product market fit,...

(Preview) Monetizing WhatsApp, Big Companies and Big Company Incentives, Why the New York Times Has a Podcast App

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A closer look at Meta's strategy with WhatsApp, why Disney's failure to buy Google in 1999 shouldn't be surprising, Apple's doomed car project and att...

(Preview) Reddit Goes Public, Reddit and Evolution on the Internet, The Company that Should Buy TikTok

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A look at Reddit’s business as well as the company’s message board DNA, examining some of the opposition to this week’s TikTok legislation, and ...

(Preview) Congress and TikTok, Listening to China to Understand the TikTok Concerns, Empty First Amendment Arguments

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The latest legislative push to address TikTok’s relationship to ByteDance, Ben’s 2020 analysis of the threats posed by the app, the arguments and ...

(Preview) Elon Musk Sues OpenAI, Apple’s Bizarre Epic Misstep, What Microsoft Could Teach Google

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A closer look at Elon Musk’s lawsuit, why it will probably fail, and the OpenAI concerns Musk highlights that remain relevant. Then: Apple’s lates...

The Road to Personalized LLM Answers, The AI Risk for Aggregators, Anthropic Releases a ‘Near-Human’ Claude 3

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The challenges posed by AI as aggregators like Meta and Google deploy models around the around, why personalized LLM output might be a long term solut...

(Preview) Pichai's Gemini Letter, Nvidia and TSMC and Market Structure, The End of the Apple Car

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The letter from Sundar Pichai in the wake of a Gemini’s disastrous week, the relationship between TSMC and Nvidia (and why Intel is part of the conv...

(Preview) AI and the Big Five, Google and the Ongoing Gemini Catastrophe, The Stakes (or Lack Thereof) for Chatbot Output

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An email about AI losers spawns a check-in on the AI efforts of the big five, Google’s Gemini rollout prompts a history lesson and questions about t...

(Preview) The History of Consoles, The Murky Present for Microsoft and Xbox, The Gaming Future for Sony and Meta

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How the gaming market went from PlayStation to Microsoft Game Pass, the fundamental tensions underlying Microsoft’s current strategy in games, and t...

A Sports Super Bundle, The Next Challenge for Digital Advertising, Zuckerberg Reviews the Apple Vision Pro

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A look at the questions surrounding the sports streaming bundle that’s coming from Fox, Disney, and Warner Brothers Discovery, including the challen...

(Preview) The Vision Pro and the Newton, The Case Against AVP as an Entertainment Device, The Most Valuable Tech Product of All

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ben and Andrew begin with a note about a recent Stratechery announcement before to turning their attention to a variety of emails about the Apple Visi...

First Impressions of the Vision Pro: What It Is, What It Might Have Been, and a Note About Guest Mode

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ben and Andrew share first impressions after Andrew demos a Vision Pro and Ben spends 24 hours exploring the AVP at home. Plus: Venting about Apple’...

Mailbag: A Navy SEAL on the Vision Pro, Reading 10-Qs, Apple Follow Up, Netflix and Books, Unsolicited Parenting Advice

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new mailbag featuring a comparison between the Vision Pro and night vision goggles, Ben’s process for digesting quarterly earnings news, and some ...

(Preview) Google’s Lumiere, The App Store and Lost Innovation, The Tension Between Property Rights and Public Interests

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A question about AI video and what sectors it might disrupt, and the latest attempt at Apple regulation promos a conversation about Apple’s property...

Why Netflix Bet on Wrestling, The Future of Watching Sports, Recapping a Week at the World Economic Forum in Davos

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing the Sharp Tech YouTube Channel, understanding why Netflix choose the WWE for its first live rights partner in sports, more on the Vision P...

(Preview) Apple's Latest App Store Gambit, iTunes and Macworld Context, Vision Pro Developers on Strike

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Apple’s new App Store rules inspire plenty of familiar complaints, while some of the biggest tech companies in the world tell Apple to launch Vision...

(Preview) The Peacock Playoff Experiment, Revisiting the OpenAI Lawsuit, Big Picture Questions After the Boeing Mess

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Peacock makes history as the first streaming service to broadcast an NFL playoff game, an emailer asks Chat GPT licensing deals, and Boeing follow-up ...

(Preview) Another Max Mess for Boeing, Boeing as a Case Study, ESPN and the Vision Pro

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The latest failures at Boeing invite fresh scrutiny of the incentive structure, strategy lessons embedded in the company's decline, and why Boeing exe...

The New York Times Sues OpenAI, Napster History vs. ChatGPT Future, Copyright Enforcement at the Aggregator Level

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A word about the Packers and microchips, and then reactions to the New York Times suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, the similarit...

(Preview) Sharp Tech Holiday Hoopla: Streaming Mergers, Kitchen Tech, Worst Decisions, MBA Advice, Mac vs. PC and More

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrating the end of the year with a few reactions to Wednesday’s Paramount-Warner Brothers rumors and a wide variety of mailbag questions. Happy ...

Apple Gets a Patent War for Christmas, Europe's Ability to Hijack the Regulatory Process, Systemic Questions After Adobe-Figma

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The patent dispute that has Apple ready to take Apple Watches off the market, the expanding powers of the EU regulatory regime, why the Adobe-Figma ac...

Mailbag: Google and Antitrust Festivus, Credit Card Dominance, AI for Movies and Writing, Shohei’s Contract

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Epic vs. Google spawns a victory lap for Ben and some obligatory arguments with Andrew, a closer look at the FinTech revolution that never quite mater...

(Preview) Google's Killer Instinct, The Gemini Demo and AI Unknowns, Notes on College Football and Mark Cuban

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bull and bear cases for Google's long term prospects, why navigating the AI era may require leadership and culture changes, and thoughts on college fo...

Why the Internet Is Getting Worse and Why That Might Be Good for Society

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ben’s article on “Regretful Accelerationism,” the differences between today’s Internet and that of 10 years ago, AI articles at Sports Illustr...

(Preview) Elon at the DealBook Summit, The Strategic and Technical Failures at X, What Musk Might Be Getting Right

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has some choice words for advertisers who abandon his platform, a look at longstanding advertising deficiencies at X and more recent flaws i...

(Preview) Altman Returns to OpenAI, Governments and the AI Ecosystem, Q* Questions and Hitchhiking Robots

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What appears to be a resolution to last weekend’s OpenAI saga, plus questions about who controls the future of AI, why governments are reliant on pr...

OpenAI and Microsoft, Human Nature and the Not-So-Effective Altruists, Imperfect Information and the Cult of Sam Altman

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Reactions to one of the most extraordinary weekends in the history of the tech industry, the blindspots that were exposed among both the OpenAI board ...

A Stratechery, Sharp Tech, and Sharp China Crossover on the Chip Ban, Taiwan, TikTok and More

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After one year of Sharp Tech and Sharp China, a summit with Ben Thompson, Bill Bishop and Andrew Sharp to discuss podcasting, the chip ban, the US-Chi...

Will We Speak to Chatbots or Write to Them?, Obstacles for Apple and OpenAI, Follow-Up on Tech and Real Estate

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An emailer makes the argument for text over voice as the AI interface of the future, the introduction of Humane's AI pin, and questions for Apple and ...

Waiting for Immersive ChatGPT, ChatGPT and the Consumer Challenge, OpenAI’s Enterprise vs. Consumer Balancing Act

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The possibilities of a universal chatbot for the future, the challenges for any new consumer tech company trying to match the scale of incumbents, and...

(Preview) The Future of Buying and Selling Houses, Two Price Fixing Lawsuits, The In-Season Tournament and Ronald Reagan

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A verdict in Missouri portends big changes in the real estate industry, why real estate is a natural fit for an aggregator, and divergent outcomes fro...

Biden’s Executive Order on AI, Innovation and the Steve Jobs Approach, Balancing AI Risks and Upside

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The White House executive order on AI, the accidental lesson of all the analogies to nuclear technology, what Steve Jobs and Bill Gates can teach us a...

(Preview) 100th Episode Mailbag: New MacBooks, CarPlay Closure, Dennard Scaling and the Chip Ban, Netflix and a Prestige Tier, Hardware as a Service

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrating 100 episodes of Sharp Tech with quick thoughts on Monday night's Apple event, a second look at GM's foray into software, the tech CEO that...

Netflix Revives the Monoculture, The NBA and Its Rights Fee Future, The Bidding Calculus for Amazon and Disney

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A Netflix letter to shareholders that doubles as a message to the rest of Hollywood, the NBA’s precarious negotiating posture as the cable bundle cr...

(Preview) Google’s Calculus with Mobile Search, What US v. Google Makes Clear About Apple, Two Types of Regulation

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Maps history that undergirds Google’s partnership with Apple, whether the Apple and Google app stores should be regulated like modern day utilit...

(Preview) The New York Times, Fake News, and Seven Years of Misdirected Energy

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Memories of an article in 2016, a reminder that the impact of fake news is generally correlated to the speaker, not the speech, and a question about h...

College Students and Chips, The Future of Computing (and the Limits of Physics), Formula 1 and Apple

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An emailer recommends ignoring college students on Twitter, the strategic logic of America’s ban on the sale of advanced chips to China, and a few d...

The Hamas Attacks and Social Media, Competing Public Interests, Efforts to Stay Sane in a New Information Ecosystem

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the wake of the Hamas terror attacks over the past week, a conversation about tech and war, social media moderation, and strategies for maintaining...

(Preview) The Sphere is Here, Collapsing Distinctions Between Physical and Digital Reality, Emails on Amazon and Antitrust

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Sphere in all its LED splendor, more questions about AI devices and virtual reality, brief thoughts on Michael Lewis and SBF, and reading a few of...

(Preview) Amazon and the FTC, Antitrust Laws and Big Tech, Consumer Welfare and American Welfare

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The FTC’s Amazon complaint and ongoing criticism of FTC Chair Lina Khan, understanding Amazon’s power and the limits of antitrust law, modern regu...

Voice and Video Demos with ChatGPT, How AI Could Redeem Meta’s Mixed Reality Bets, OpenAI Explores Hardware

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ben shares his experience with a ChatGPT demo that inverted his expectations, a reminder that reducing friction is essential for AI’s next steps, an...

New Features for ChatGPT and Spotify, Revisiting the CarPlay Discussion, TikTot on Advertising and Time Management

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The voice and image commands announced by OpenAI (and the Google threat that still looms), Spotify’s new translation software, and a wave of CarPlay...

(Preview) Microsoft’s Snafu and Apple’s Shenanigans, Car Companies with SaaS Envy, The Logic Behind Delta's SkyMiles Move

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A filing error for Microsoft and early backlash to the latest Apple accessory, a question about Apple CarPlay and Android Auto leads to an extended lo...

An Endgame for YouTube TV, Big Disney Decisions (And Whether Bob Iger Should Make Them), The Era Beyond Peak TV

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How the history of Google and may predict the future for YouTube, the stakes for Disney and Bob Iger as the earth shifts underneath them, and various ...

(Preview) Is the iPhone Still Interesting?, Unity’s New Model for Mobile Developers, YouTube Highlights and Taylor Swift’s New Movie

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Reactions to Tuesday’s iPhone event at Apple, the recent history of the development landscape in gaming, and an overview of the flaws in the plan Un...

Charter Wins and Does Disney a Favor, Charter and the Broadband Market, SMIC Gets the US Government’s Attention

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The eleventh hour agreement between Charter and Disney, why Charter was the clear winner but Disney will benefit regardless, and what Charter’s inve...

Disney vs. Charter and a New ESPN Reality, The Future of the Cable Business, Risks for the NBA and Other Sports

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The ongoing Disney-Charter dispute, why the power dynamics appear to have shifted underneath ESPN’s feet, and what this dispute could mean for the f...

(Preview) Why Amazon and Shopify Went from Rivals to Partners, A More Precise Definition of Disruption, Streams and Nightmares for Warner/ESPN/Disney

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The logic underlying both sides of Shopify’s move to incorporate Buy with Prime, a question about disruption yields an an answer about AI, and a few...

Your Regularly Scheduled Nvidia Hysteria, Nvidia and the Metaverse, Questions on Sony and Adyen

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Another round of monster earnings for Nvidia, the challenges and opportunities that will define the next decade for Nvidia and other AI players, and q...

China Turmoil and America’s Hidden Superpower, Bing vs. Google Six Months Later, Studios Disrupted Themselves to Invent Broadcast TV

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Wall Street Journal’s expansive look at the Chinese economy inspires an analogy for the comparative strength of America, two questions on Micros...

(Preview) The Path to an ESPN Streaming Network, Disney Follow-Up and Fox Success, Two Perspectives on Google Photos

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Next steps for a direct-to-consumer ESPN are beginning to come into view, Disney’s tech challenges and Bob Iger’s streaming price hikes, and an ov...

The Business of Taylor Swift, 'Eras' and Social Media, The Two Big Obstacles Preventing an Apple and Disney Merger

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ben’s experience seeing Taylor Swift live in Los Angeles, what her success can teach us about the modern entertainment landscape, and a closer look ...

Meta’s EU Plans and Microsoft’s AI Pricing, The Barbell Effect Hits College Football, Photo Sharing in Parenthood

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Musk vs. Zuckerberg as the undercard to another round of Meta vs. the European Union, Microsoft's pricing strategy for Copilot, and the latest univers...

(Preview) The Week of LK-99 Intrigue, China and Trailing Edges Chips, Intel Goes to Washington

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A look at LK-99 and the various ways a room temperature superconductor might change the world, EU and US officials express concern over China’s move...

Facebook Bowed to White House Pressure, The US Department of Technology, Fusion and Starlink and Swiftie Spotify

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Wall Street Journal's report that Facebook removed content related to Covid-19 in response to pressure from the Biden administration, both the pri...

(Preview) Why Netflix Will Keep Raising Prices, The Spotify Model in Hollywood, Twitter’s Inexplicable Rebrand and WeChat Dreams

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Checking in with Netflix as the ad-supported model matures, more on streaming residuals and the future of movies and TV, and general thoughts on the l...

(Preview) Meta Takes Llama Open Source, Why Llama Might Be More Important than OpenAI, ChatGPT Hits a Plateau

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Meta makes its large language model free for commercial and research use, why enabling a dispersed development environment could help Meta's business ...

Tech and Two Strikes in Hollywood, Harsh Streaming Realities and a Big Residuals Mess, Iger’s Challenges at Disney

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The familiar tech stories underlying the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, why streaming residuals are so difficult to calculate, and Disney's current proble...