The annual Stratechery review of the state of technology, and call to build products that unlock human potential
Facebook’s China Censorship Tool, The Fake News Connection, A Thanksgiving Note
Facebook has pre-emptively built a tool for censoring content in China even as the Chinese government is talking about “fake news”. Then, a note of thanks from me to you.
Amazon Explores Sports Rights, Insta-Snapchat-Gram, Zuckerberg on Fake News
Amazon is looking into sports, but real changes won’t happen for a while. Then, Instagram continues to battle Snapchat, which is a useful reminder that the best Facebook antidote is competition.
Fake News Follow-up and Twitter Bans, Facebook Screws Up More Measurements, Snap Files for IPO
A follow-up to Fake News, and why Twitter’s bans are different. Then, the better approach to Facebook’s power is more transparency. Plus, Snap is both IPOing and showing why they are following in Facebook’s footsteps.
Fake News
Facebook is under fire for fake news and filter bubbles; they are a problem, but most of the proposed solutions are far worse.
Snapchat Spectacles “Launch”, Facebook’s Real Problem
Recent news about Snapchat (Spectacles) and Facebook (its effect on elections) couldn’t be more different; that’s why they are, in fact, related.
Donald Trump is the President-Elect, Tech Under Trump, The Big Picture
Donald Trump is the president-elect, and the temptation is to reduce his success to black-and-white issues. That would be a mistake for the tech industry in particular.
Why Twitter Must Be Saved
First, a reposting of an old Stratechery article, Rebuilding the World Technology Destroyed. Then, why Twitter is an essential antidote to Facebook and must be preserved.
Facebook Versus the Media
Facebook is in trouble with the media again, guilty of stupidity by apathy. Still, the media itself hasn’t exactly caught up with the reality of the Internet.
A Technical Glitch
Facebook Live is likely a lot more meaningful than Facebook expected: it’s a plus for society, but Facebook should expect more scrutiny. Given that, they have work to do when it comes to transparency.