On Exponent, the weekly podcast I host with James Allworth, we discuss Dust in the Light. Listen to it here.
Ben Thompson
Zoom’s Earnings, Zoom and AWS, Zoom and End-to-end Encryption
Zoom didn’t just add free users: it’s revenue exploded as well. How AWS made that possible, and why Zoom’s encryption plans are a good idea.
Zuckerberg’s Choice, Zuckerberg’s Power, Zuckerberg’s Conviction
Why Mark Zuckerberg has made the right choice about Trump’s posts, why his power is a problem, and why his conviction is impressive.
Dust in the Light
The Internet ends gatekeepers and increases transparency, which has world-altering effects — both good and bad.
HBO Max Launches, Amazon and Roku, Apple in 3rd
HBO Max is confusing because of negotiations with cable carriers, which is expected, and negotiations with OTT resellers, which perhaps was not. Then, is Apple making a move?
Trump’s Executive Order, Section 230 In Court, Public Forums
President Trump is poised to sign an executive order that applies to social networks; its reasoning about Section 230 and public forums is not in line with judicial precedent.
Twitter and Trump, YouTube and China, Facebook and Polarization
Twitter fact-checks Trump, YouTube censors Chinese words, and Facebook reportedly declines to police polarization.
Platforms in an Aggregator World
Facebook Shops are good for Shopify merchants, but bad for Shopify; the answer is to push more into the real world.
Steve Jobs and OpenDoc, Fluid Framework, Microsoft Lists
At Build Microsoft’s vision for their enterprise operating system in the cloud was clearer than ever.
Joe Rogan and Spotify, Luminary and Howard Stern, Apple’s Response
Joe Rogan is exclusive to Spotify, which suggests the streaming service realizes it needs to steal share to get its Aggregation flywheel spinning.