Projecting antitrust policy in a second Trump administration and explaining the splintered interests among little tech and big tech, checking in with the state of X under Elon Musk, and two ChatGPT testimonials help explain the status quo. At the end: Both hosts choose new jobs and new favorite teams.
Ben and Andrew return with thoughts on Apple's calculus in the EU, why better App Store policies may not have mattered, perspectives from US and EU citizens, and follow-up to Ben's article on various EU regulatory ambitions. Then: The news that neither Apple nor Microsoft will take observer seats on the OpenAI board, Paramount's merger and an endorsement of irrational Hollywood, Apple unveils its F1 movie, bubble tea takes, and President Mr. Beast.
Perplexity and the choices facing publishers in the AI era, revisiting the decisions and structural forces that led to media struggles in the online economy, and an emailer from the EU who wonders about the costs of the expansive language in the digital markets act. At the end: Ice cream, and a few interview recs for the break.
Lessons from the FTC's lawsuit alleging that Adobe has violated consumer protection laws in its cloud services business, a question about the vibes at WWDC and other tentpole keynotes across big tech, and a few more notes on Apple, including Facebook's data calculus, the DRI model, and stress-testing the developer concerns with respect to the Vision Pro.
Answering listener questions in the wake of WWDC, including thoughts on AI for Outlook, whether Apple competitors will allow data access to Apple Intelligence, cloud questions, chip questions, and more.
Reviewing all things WWDC in 2024, including the introduction of Apple Intelligence, why Apple's vision for mainstream AI was compelling, the Apple partnership with OpenAI, questions about Private Cloud Compute, and lots more.
A look at Microsoft Recall and the implications of the security changes that were announced this weekend, follow-up questions on what Netflix may build in its advertising business, and a few countervailing notes on the possibility of a dark GPU sequel to the dark fiber story after the dot com bubble.
A look at Walmart’s challenges and opportunities as it builds an ad business, how Walmart became a differentiated competitor to Amazon, and a question about AI skepticism spawns extended discussion of life in the middle of a bubble. At the end: Picks for the NBA Finals.
A question about generative AI and the hardware powering voice assistants, projecting the GPU future with the dot com bubble as context, and thoughts on Amazon’s capital expenditures and the state of AWS and Amazon Supply Chain. At the end: An Elon hater reviews the Cybertruck.
A question about the spectrum between LLMs and AGI spawns a conversation about where and how AI might introduce upheaval in the workplace, what TSMC can teach us about probabilistic LLMs, whether AI will be a feature for all big companies or a differentiating product for one winner, and frustrations at the barriers to entry that have thus far allowed big tech to retain control of AI's mainstream applications. Also: An important note about Scarlett Johannson.
The Microsoft Build conference and the introduction of Copilot+ PCs, the potential for Windows as an AI platform that gives developers more certainty, and reactions to Scarlett Johansson's statement about her negotiations with Sam Altman and the launch of GPT-4o.
A variety of notable Netflix developments over the past few weeks, Hollywood's continued move to a (kinda) rebundled future, and what sports leagues are learning as internet realities take hold across entertainment. At the end: Andrew finally watches "Her" and shares his review.
Reactions to two hours of Google on stage this week, thoughts on what an AI makeover for search will mean for businesses that rely on Google for customer acquisition, and answers to mailbag questions on Google Cloud, Apple's rumored partnership with OpenAI, Amazon, and the continued ascent of SpaceX and Starlink.
Reactions to the GPT-4o demo, a reminder that OpenAI looks more and more like a consumer tech company, and questions about a potential partnership with Apple. At the end: A follow-up on Apple’s ads, and an emailer defends the Bumble CEO.
The iPad commercial that made the Internet angry this week, a question about Google search spawns thoughts on the various futures of Google's business, and a few observations on the Tom Brady roast as a reflection of Netflix strategy. Plus: A final word on the iPad and its utility.
A question about Apple sentiment in China spawns memories of Apple's entrance to Japan, the utility of the iPad as a Mac replacement (and why the Vision Pro would be the better option for that job), plus Apple acquisitions, Apple's growth premium, and where, exactly, Meta is spending all that money in the Metaverse.
Parsing the latest reports on the battle for the NBA's next round of broadcast rights, a question about the NBA schedule and how the league should think about competing with the NFL, and the implications of an increasingly bleak outlook for regional sports networks.
Ben proposes a potential update to Clayton Christensen's theory of disruption, why the latest round of Meta market skepticism is not as crazy as the last few episodes, questions about Facebook and Apple, and an emailer wonders whether Uber is the future aggregator for transportation and beyond.
Why TikTok makes more sense for Wal-Mart and Amazon than Oracle and Microsoft, and the FTC's ban on noncompete agreements prompts reflections noncompetes in Silicon Valley and the decline of trust across society. At the end: A question about Bluey and purchasing power for streamers, and an update on Drake's AI freestyle.
A closer look at Netflix after news that the streamer will stop reporting subscription numbers in 2025, a question about Meta’s AI ambitions, and the case for Google making a play to compete with the iPhone. At the end: Drake’s use of AI Tupac in a rap battle.
Celebrating 10 years of Stratechery as a subscription business with 10 questions about analysis, creating on the Internet, what's coming with AI, and what it was like on day 1.
The advertising possibilities that AI can unlock for Meta, Google and Amazon, why TikTok is interested in AI to create digital influencers, and looking to past technologies to predict the impact that AI will make on the economy. At the end: Two questions about chips, a story about EVs and British mechanics, and Scrabble.
Andrew and Ben turn to the emailers and answer questions on Jony Ive's post-Apple adventures, structural parallels between tech and the rise of journalists Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski, Instagram's strategy for Reels, the information environment surrounding Neuralink, and the best approach to solving age verification for teenagers.
Updated thoughts on Amazon rolling back “just walk out” in grocery stores, context for a viral Meta tweet and a year of pessimism surrounding TSMC in Arizona, and Ben walks through what happened with the XZ backdoor and the changes that should come next.
Ben reviews Apple’s latest immersive video demo, what a paucity of VR content says about Apple’s commitment to the AVP, Microsoft’s move to globalize its response to EU regulators, and various thoughts and questions on energy consumption and its role in an AI future.
Follow-up on Apple and the DOJ, including new antitrust laws Ben would like to see, distinctions between platforms and aggregators in a regulatory context, and both sides of the Apple API argument. At the end: attempts to bridge antitrust confusion and a rant on Boeing’s CEO search.
A closer look at the US v. Apple complaint, including the good and bad of the introductory rhetoric, debate over the notion that consumers have co-signed Apple's control of the app store, text messaging technology, smartwatches, what Apple has always offered consumers, and the strategic decisions that made the company an attractive antitrust target.
An AI day for Sharp Tech. Topics include: Nvidia’s GTC and the Blackwell B200 GPU, Nvidia’s strategic calculus after achieving product market fit, whether Google missed a chance to market TPUs to a wider audience, the logic underlying Microsoft’s bizarre arrangement with Inflection AI, and Apple’s rumored talks about a partnership with Google Gemini.
A closer look at Meta's strategy with WhatsApp, why Disney's failure to buy Google in 1999 shouldn't be surprising, Apple's doomed car project and attendant AI ambitions, and a question about the New York Times spawns discussion of the podcast industry, in general.
A look at Reddit’s business as well as the company’s message board DNA, examining some of the opposition to this week’s TikTok legislation, and at the end, identifying the company that should buy TikTok.
