Welcome back to This Week in Stratechery!

As a reminder, each week, every Friday, we’re sending out this overview of content in the Stratechery bundle; highlighted links are free for everyone. Additionally, you have complete control over what we send to you. If you don’t want to receive This Week in Stratechery emails (there is no podcast), please uncheck the box in your delivery settings.

On that note, here were a few of our favorites this week.

1. R.I.P. Sora, 2025-2026. AI Sam came, AI Sam saw, and AI Sam stole those GPUs. We’ll always have the memories. Unfortunately, it turns out that Sam would rather have the GPUs, so on Sharp Tech this week, Ben and I eulogized the app that took over the world for about two weeks last year. That included thoughts on copyright battles that may have sealed its fate, why Ben’s reluctant to be too critical, and more signs that OpenAI is serious about its enterprise pivot. Come for that conversation, and then stay for a rollicking spring mailbag that includes a great take on search advertising, F1 venting, the Vision Pro and my wife, kids and phones, and more. — Andrew Sharp
   

2. The 2026 Bullseye List. The NBA Playoffs are only a few weeks away, which means Ben Golliver and I are already in preparation mode, including a delightful episode today running through a “Bullseye List” of superstars who will be under pressure this spring. We discuss everyone from Kevin Durant and Alperin Sengun to Jalen Brunson, Chet Holmgren, and Victor Wembanyama, a debatable inclusion, but undeniably the most magnetic star in the league right now. And yes, given my Luka takes in January, and Luka looking incredible throughout March, I did take accountability and add myself to bullseye list. — AS
   
   
3. Arm’s Big Shift. If you wanted more evidence that AI is changing everything, look no further than Arm: the company was famous for its high margin IP-licensing business model, but this week announced that instead of (just) facilitating other company’s making chips, it would start making and selling chips itself. Naturally, their first offering is explicitly focused on AI data centers. I explained Arm’s motivations in Wednesday Update, and interviewed Arm CEO Rene Haas to get his point of view on Thursday. — Ben Thompson

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Stratechery Articles and Updates

• Arm Launches Own CPU, Arm’s Motivation, Constraints and Systems — Arm is selling its own chips, not just licensing IP. It’s a big change compared to Arm’s history, but not surprising given how computing is evolving.
• An Interview with Arm CEO Rene Haas About Selling Chips — An interview with Arm CEO Rene Haas about the company’s decision to not just license IP but make their own chips.

Sharp Text by Andrew Sharp

• Tilting at Windmills — As the Iran war continues, let’s take a look at the Democratic Party, institutional media, and offshore wind farms.

Dithering with Ben Thompson and Daring Fireball’s John Gruber

• John Ternus and Responsible Individuals
• Sora and Mac Pro Dead

Asianometry with Jon Yu

• Singapore’s Sound Card Hero

Sharp China with Andrew Sharp and Sinocism’s Bill Bishop

• A Giant Mess with Super Micro; Completely Correct Xiong’an Progress; The PRC’s Balancing Act on Iran; Manus, Apple and Router News

Greatest of All Talk with Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver

• The Intrigue(?) in the East, Peterson and Acuff On Center Stage, Revisiting Draft Kevin Durant
• The BULLSEYE List in 2026: Playoff Questions for Ant, Chet, Tatum, Mitchell, Wemby, and Beyond

Sharp Tech with Andrew Sharp and Ben Thompson

• A Spring Break Mailbag: RIP Sora, Ads and Surplus, F1 Going in Reverse, Elon Inc., Smartphone Parenting, and More

This week’s Stratechery video is on Agents Over Bubbles.