Welcome back to This Week in Stratechery!
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On that note, here were a few of our favorites this week.
- Why Does Netflix Want Warner? There are an entire category of stories that are shocking but, after a few moments, not surprising; Netflix buying one of Hollywood’s most iconic studios was not necessarily shocking — it’s been rumored for a few months — but it is surprising. Netflix dominates paid streaming distribution; why do they need to get into production as well? Both Andrew and I offer our theories of the case on Stratechery and Sharp Text, and we debated the same on this week’s episode of Sharp Tech. For me, the biggest answer is what’s becoming a theme: the specter of Google, in this case YouTube. — Ben Thompson
- And a Bit More Netflix. I love every Michael Nathanson interview on Stratechery, because the conversations are equal parts substance and chummy chemistry as two old friends size up the media landscape. Needless to say, this was a very good week for an extended conversation about the entertainment business, and I was delighted to see the transcript land in my inbox on Sunday night (yes, I get advance copies). Come for ribbing about previous long-running Netflix debates, and stay for two friends grappling with the logic of the deal for Netflix, regulatory questions to come, and the implications for show business. The interview is as timely this weekend as it was earlier this week, as all the questions surrounding this deal remain very much unresolved! — Andrew Sharp
- All About Flighty. If you’re a Stratechery reader or Sharp Tech listener, you’re probably familiar with Flighty, a flight-tracking app that Ben finds an excuse to recommend at least once a month. This week Ben interviewed the Flighty CEO, Ryan Jones, and we got the full backstory on how Jones went from the oil industry to Apple, how the Flighty app came to exist, and what its future looks like in the modern app environment. The interview is a fun conversation between two nerds who like building things, but more than that, the Flighty story is worth appreciating as a reminder of what tech can be at its best: a business identifies a problem, uses technology to fix it, and makes life better for everyone. — AS
Stratechery Articles and Updates
- Netflix and the Hollywood End Game — Netflix is driving the Hollywood end game, likely confident it can increase the value of IP, and fend off YouTube.
- An Emergency Interview with Michael Nathanson About Netflix’s Acquisition of Warner Bros. — An interview with MoffettNathanson’s Michael Nathanson about Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. and the Hollywood end game.
- Trump Allows H200 Sales to China, The Sliding Scale, A Good Decision — The Trump administration has effectively unwound the Biden era chip controls by selling the H200 to China; I agree with the decision, which is a return to longstanding U.S. policy.
- An Interview with Ryan Jones About Flighty and Building Apps in 2025 — An interview with Ryan Jones about Flighty, my favorite iOS app, and how the App Store has evolved over the last 15 years.
Sharp Text by Andrew Sharp
- Netflix and the Flattening of Everything —Whether the $72 billion Warner Brothers deal closes or not, the era of Netflix as big tech Switzlerland is now over.
Dithering with Ben Thompson and Daring Fireball’s John Gruber
Asianometry with Jon Yu
Sharp China with Andrew Sharp and Sinocism’s Bill Bishop
Greatest of All Talk with Andrew Sharp and WaPo’s Ben Golliver
Sharp Tech with Andrew Sharp and Ben Thompson
- Netflix Opportunities and Anxieties, Merger Hurdles to Come, Hollywood’s Endgame and What Comes Next
This week’s Stratechery video is on Google, Nvidia, and OpenAI.