Returning from the holiday week with a look at the explosive growth of AppLovin, various takeaways from the towering success of OnlyFans, Bloomberg history, and questions on the future for Elon Musk and OpenAI. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube An Interview with Eric Seufert About the Current State of Digital Advertising — Stratechery Interview Podcast: Understanding AppLovin — Mobile Dev Memo The Single-Staircase Radicals Ha...
Dec 02, 2024•14 min
Celebrating the holiday week with emails from subscribers. Topics include: integrating LLMs into the modern workflow, human reactions to AI content, Google and its disruption risks, a follow-up to last week’s trade discussion, advice for a young engineer working remotely, creating new reality shows, an unpaid shoe testimonial, family tech support, and more. Happy Thanksgiving to all! To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Get all ...
Nov 26, 2024•18 min
Talking through the evolution of the modern trade landscape, the implications of tariffs under a new U.S. administration, and Ben’s article on Monday, A Chance to Build. Topics include: the realities that are prompting change, China’s growth in hardware and software, TSMC and Trump, the future for Waymo, and more. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube A Chance to Build — Stratechery President Trump, Take Two; Big Tech, Little Tec...
Nov 22, 2024•1 hr 9 min
The Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight and what might have gone wrong for Netflix on Friday night, a resolution of the NBA's months-long contract dispute with Warner Bros. Discovery, and Ben explains what Passport can do for creators and shares a few takeaways from his experience building the product over the past few years. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Netflix’s Tyson-Paul Boxing Bout Gets 65 Million Viewers at Peak — Bloomberg...
Nov 18, 2024•13 min
An emailer wonders whether 30 years of Internet investments and data were the bootloader for an AI transformation in the real world. Ben offers his take on recent reports that OpenAI and Google are seeing diminishing returns from their latest LLMs, and the arrival of Ultrawide capabilities leads to refined takes on the Vision Pro and advice for Apple moving forward. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube OpenAI, Google and Anthrop...
Nov 14, 2024•12 min
Looking to President Trump's first term for clues about what tech policy might look like for the next four years. Topics include: Apple's balancing act with the U.S. and China, why Meta and Google might have fared better under Kamala Harris, the implications for "Little Tech," an open question on M&A policies, unresolved tensions with EU regulators, TikTok, crypto policy, the case for growth, and thoughts on Elon Musk and the role that X played in the election. To email the show: email@sharp...
Nov 07, 2024•16 min
An email comparing James Harden to a tech company spawns several other tech and basketball crossovers. Then: A brief history of the bandwidth buildout that made it possible for video to take over the internet, an email about generative AI and digital advertising, a listener cries for help over political donation solicitations, and Ben aborts an experiment with the Google Pixel. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Get all episod...
Nov 04, 2024•18 min
Talking through Ben's piece on Meta and Abundance, including the past, present and future of Meta's value proposition to e-commerce advertisers, plans to incorporate AI-generated content into news feeds, and questions about augmented reality and the next phase of user interfaces. At the end: An emailer highlights potential downsides of the vision Meta is selling. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Meta’s AI Abundance — Stratec...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 10 min
The open questions about competition in AI and enterprise software, emails regarding text-to-voice podcasts and replacing Andrew with an AI agent, and a question about Amazon and the proposed tariffs on consumer goods from China. Plus: Apple Intelligence, OpenAI's naming strategy, and the daily media intake for both hosts. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube An Interview with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff about AI Abundance — Str...
Oct 28, 2024•13 min
A closer look at the emergence of stablecoins, their utility in crypto and cross-border payments, progress in the crypto space that could lead to more widespread adoption, and the strategic logic of Stripe's plan to buy Bridge, a stablecoin platform, for a reported $1.1 billion. At the end: Updates on the Apple Vision Pro, and the secret behind the success of Jayden Daniels in Washington, D.C. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTub...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 4 min
OpenAI's latest valuation and the value of the ChatGPT brand, the AGI clause in the OpenAI-Microsoft partnership, a follow-up on Waymo's data and the Bitter Lesson, a twist in the AI device form factor conversation, and a question about Orion and the importance of elite talent in big tech. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube OpenAI’s New Model, How o1 Works, Scaling Inference — Stratechery Update OpenAI DevDay, OpenAI’s Wrenchi...
Oct 21, 2024•13 min
Understanding Tesla’s approach to an autonomous driving future, why some observers think Tesla is ahead of Waymo today, and questions about market structure and regulation concerns as the future of transportation takes shape. At the end: An additional note on politics as a zero sum game, and a few thoughts on the rest of the F1 season. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Elon Dreams and Bitter Lessons — Stratechery The Bitter L...
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Explaining the SpaceX breakthrough over the weekend and why it mattered, an email about the next decade in tech, Tesla's 'We, Robot' event and the challenge of analyzing Elon Musk, a few more Waymo emails, and watches. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube In an engineering feat, mechanical SpaceX arms catch Starship rocket booster back at the launch pad — AP SpaceX Starship Flight 5 — YouTube The End of the Beginning — Strateche...
Oct 14, 2024•15 min
An injunction in the wake of the Epic v. Google case highlights the value of network effects in the app store market and the limits of antitrust law to restore competition, the DOJ proposes a break-up of Google that may run into similar problems in the search market, and Ben explains why Tesla's taking a different approach to autonomous driving than Waymo. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Google Must Make It Easier for App S...
Oct 10, 2024•12 min
Ben's experience with Waymo and a question about AI automation implications, NotebookLM arrives and intrigues, follow-ups on the Orion conversation, and two notes on platforms and the future of media consumption. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Taking Waymo, Uber and Waymo — Stratechery Update More on Orion, Where Vision Pro Went Wrong, Apple’s Response and Meta’s Motivation — Stratechery Update Post from Kuldar — X: @kkuld...
Oct 02, 2024•11 min
A few follow-up questions on Meta's plans for the Orion glasses and the looming competition with Apple, surveying the past 12 months at OpenAI, a question about X and the decision to limit the distribution of a hacked JD Vance dossier, and a question about the future of media consumption in the wake of ESPN's decision to part ways with Zach Lowe. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube More on Orion, Where Vision Pro Went Wrong, Ap...
Sep 30, 2024•12 min
An episode of reactions to Meta Connect 2024. Topics include: the lively atmosphere during Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote, Ben’s experience with the Orion AR glasses, the strengths and weaknesses of Apple and Meta in the race to create a platform for the future, Llama 3.2, Snap’s Spectacles, and more. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube An Interview with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth About Orion and Reality Labs — Stratechery Interview M...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr
Answering listener questions on a tidal wave of sports gambling advertising, Sony’s strategy for the PlayStation Pro, robotics and the potentially destabilizing impact of AI, Apple’s latest ads, Microsoft’s LinkedIn purchase, and more. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Unity Scraps Runtime Fee, Back to Reality, Sony PlayStation Pro — Stratechery Update OpenAI’s New Model, How o1 Works, Scaling Inference — Stratechery Update C...
Sep 23, 2024•14 min
Understanding the way LLMs have worked and why OpenAI's o1 model appears to be different, reactions to Microsoft's Copilot Pages and Marc Benioff's vision for agents, and why o1 and a generation of "reasoning models" could provide intriguing possibilities for AI investments across the enterprise space. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Copilot Pages, Salesforce Agents — Stratechery Update OpenAI’s New Model, How o1 Works, Sca...
Sep 19, 2024•14 min
Questions about politics as America's most dominant pop culture franchise, recommendations for the EU, and more.
Sep 16, 2024•10 min
Questions about politics as America's most dominant pop culture franchise, recommendations for the EU, and more. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year....
Sep 16, 2024•10 min
What Apple's iPhone event signals about priorities for the company, a digression on the App Store and its attendant risks, and thoughts on what Steve Jobs could and couldn't change about Apple in 2024. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Boomer Apple — Stratechery Everything as a Service — Stratechery Apple’s Middle Age — Stratechery iPhone Pricing, DirecTV and Disney, Bars and Sports — Stratechery Update Get all episodes of Sh...
Sep 12, 2024•58 min
Answering questions about Apple’s Woj, a cornucopia of iPhone options, founder mode, and more. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Apple Moves Forward With Foldable iPhone — The Information Unboxing the new #Pixel9 — TikTok: @google Founder Mode — Paul Graham ASML’s China Chip Business Faces New Curbs From Netherlands — Bloomberg China Warns Japan of Retaliation for Possible New Chip Curbs — Bloomberg Get all episodes of Sharp ...
Sep 09, 2024•11 min
Tracing the history that led to the decline of Intel, why Ben is conflicted about the potential solutions to the company's woes, and a Third Circuit verdict on Section 230 that could upend three decades of precedent across the tech ecosystem. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Intel Honesty — Stratechery Broadcom and Intel?, Nvidia Earnings, DOJ Investigating Nvidia — Stratechery Update Intel Concerns, Fubo Blocks Venu — Strat...
Sep 05, 2024•1 hr 2 min
The charges against Pavel Durov in France, the differences between encrypted messaging apps and Telegram, the philosophical questions underlying moderation scrutiny, and thoughts on Mark Zuckerberg's letter to the House Judiciary Committee this week. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Post from Ethan Mollick — X: @emollick DALL-E, the Metaverse, and Zero Marginal Content — Stratechery Telegram CEO Durov faces preliminary charg...
Aug 29, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Answering listener questions about Disney's massive investment in cruises, follow-ups on Canva and Sarbanes-Oxley, a new Chick-Fil-A streaming service, Perplexity’s advertising strategy, and lots more. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Disney’s Taylor Swift Era — Stratechery An Interview with Canva CEO Melanie Perkins About Disrupting Design — Stratechery Interview Chick-Fil-A Hatches Plans For Streaming Service As Reality TV...
Aug 26, 2024•12 min
A conversation about Canva and lessons from its growth story, the future of graphic design and visual learning, and a word about tech IPOs in the modern era. At the end: The injunction blocking the launch of a new streaming service, follow-ups on surgeon groupchats, and an emailer makes Sharp Tech history. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube An Interview with Canva CEO Melanie Perkins About Disrupting Design — Stratechery Inter...
Aug 22, 2024•14 min
Answering listener questions on the BNPL model for smartphones, whether Apple employees hate the App Store policies, Apple Intelligence and search, and lots more. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year....
Aug 19, 2024•11 min
The history of PCs and smartphones as context for Google's integrated strategy for Android, and reactions to Apple's plans for the NFC chip and its approach to Patreon and payment processing. At the end: Final thoughts on Peacock and the Olympics, Amazon’s Whole Foods experiment, and a listener requests a tour of Ben’s cord bag. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube For a collection of all the accessories Ben mentioned during the...
Aug 15, 2024•27 min
The implications and inherent tensions of this week’s verdict in U.S. v. Google, Apple and a mountain of services revenue suddenly in jeopardy, and emails on aggregators, Elon Musk’s latest lawsuit, Crunchyroll and more. To email the show: email@sharptech.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Friendly Google and Enemy Remedies — Stratechery Google Decision Follow-Up, Amazon Earnings — Stratechery Update United States v. Google — Stratechery Get all episodes of Sha...
Aug 09, 2024•17 min
