Free – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

Pandemic Progress

Monday, June 21, 2021

Marc Andreessen has changed his tone over the past year; there is a cynical interpretation, but I think the shift is justified.

Trump Visits Mac Pro Factory, Apple’s Tariffs, Apple Versus GitHub

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Trump visited the Mac Pro factory, and people are disappointed in Tim Cook. First off, tariffs are certainly the driving fact, but I am disappointed too, for different reasons than most.

The First Amendment is not about a law, but rather a culture — specifically a culture of liberty. It is essential to tech, and in this context, Facebook is mostly right about political ads (but can still do better).

The Internet and the Third Estate

Monday, October 21, 2019

Mark Zuckerberg suggested that social media is a “Fifth Estate”; in fact, social media is a means by which the Third Estate — commoners — can seize political power. Here history matters.

China Cultural Clash Follow-Up, Disney and Blizzard, Choosing Customers

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

More on TikTok, then Disney and Blizzard demonstrate how expensive customers can be, while Google and Facebook benefit.

The China Cultural Clash

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

The NBA controversy in China highlights a culture clash that both tech companies and the U.S. government need to take to heart. Plus, why Tiktok being Chinese is increasingly a problem.

A Framework for Regulating Content on the Internet

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Regulators need to stop blindly regulating “the Internet” and instead understand that every part of the Internet stack is different, and only one part is suffering from market failure.

Nest’s Secret Microphone, YouTube and the Pollyanish Assumption — Again, Pinterest and Anti-Vaxxers

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Nest’s secret microphone shows that privacy still isn’t a priority at Google, and there is a connection to YouTube’s latest scandal. Then, what Pinterest gets right about a very hard problem.

Another Congressional Hearing, The Genesis of Section 230, The Battle over Section 230

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Section 230, which shields Internet companies from liability, is getting more attention: the only attention it should get is as a model for other regulations.

The Athletic Raises $20 Million, Four Stories on Tech and Politics

Thursday, March 8, 2018

The Athletic is right to go for it, and raise more VC money. Then, tech and politics is only becoming more complicated as national security concerns enter the debate.

iPhone 18 Pro

iPhone 18 Pro

(Preview) Doom Debates Go Mainstream, AI Religion and the Economic Future, Several Vectors of the China Question

(Preview) The Limited Potential for a Pacing Deal; MSS on PRC AI Risks; Distillation and Data Security; The Party’s Approach to Social Media

An Interview with Joanna Stern About the iPhone Duo and AI for Normal People

Salesforce AI Force, Agents as UI, The Race to Headless

OpenAI Ads, Amazon Ads in ChatGPT, Walmart to Accept Apple Pay

iPhone 18 Pro

(Preview) Doom Debates Go Mainstream, AI Religion and the Economic Future, Several Vectors of the China Question

(Preview) The Limited Potential for a Pacing Deal; MSS on PRC AI Risks; Distillation and Data Security; The Party’s Approach to Social Media

An Interview with Joanna Stern About the iPhone Duo and AI for Normal People

An Interview with OpenAI President Greg Brockman About Astra and Alignment

An Interview with Figma CEO Dylan Field About Design and AI