The latest updates on TikTok, and why the ball is firmly in Trump’s court: he can claim victory, but the correct response is to ban the app.
Daily Update
Archive of Daily Emails for Stratechery Members
Netflix and Working-From-Home; Parents Versus Non-Parents; Apple’s COVID Manufacturing, Cont.
Reed Hastings doesn’t like working from home, and other companies, particularly Facebook, should pay attention to its unintended consequences. Plus, how Apple is making new iPhones.
TikTok Update, Microsoft and Oracle, Apple’s China Production
China is stepping in to the TikTok saga, and their approach seems justified; Microsoft should drop out. Then, how is Apple manufacturing its products in the time of COVID?
Stratechery Is on Vacation August 31–September 3
The Daily Update will return on Tuesday, September 8. All new subscribers since August 3 will have one week added to their subscriptions.
Facebook’s iOS 14 Announcement, Understanding the IDFA, The Real Showdown
What was interesting about Facebook’s iOS 14 announcement was not what it said about the IDFA, but what it didn’t say about Apple’s broader policies.
The Final Word on the App Store (for Now), Palantir’s S-1, Alex Karp’s Letter
The final word on the App Store, while Palantir’s S-1 both establishes the company as a defense firm, and argues that the biggest tech companies are on the wrong side of history.
Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code, Breaking Down the Code, Australia’s Fake News
Australia’s new media code forcing Google and Facebook to pay incumbent media companies is wrapped in dishonesty about the reality of the Internet.
New Huawei Rules, What Now for Huawei, Apple’s Brand and China Inc.
New Huawei rules may kill not only the company’s handset business, but also its base station business. Why hasn’t China yet retaliated against Apple?
Apple-Epic Follow-up, A Brief History of Epic Games, Apple’s Hammer
Apple is reverting to form, trying to control everything. It is also threatening all of Epic’s business, not simply Fortnite.
Qualcomm Follow-up, Twitter Earnings, Twitter Subscriptions?
It matters that Qualcomm is a U.S. company. Then, why Twitter is struggling with advertising, and what a subscription product might look like.