Ben and James discuss James’ adventurous summer and the recent Apple event and what it says about the future of Apple. Presented by MailChimp Links Wolverine Misses Exponent — Twitter James Allworth: So You’re Thinking About Doing a 10 Day Silent Vipassana Meditation Retreat? — M … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss Facebook Live and Pokémon Go. Please note that this episode was podcast five days ago, on Saturday, July 16. Links Ben Thompson: A Technical Glitch — Stratechery The Laborers Who Keep Dick Pics and Beheadings Out of Your Facebook Feed — Wired Mat Honan: Why … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss why the sociopolitical factors underlying the Brexit vote and their relationship to technology and a system of the future. Links Ben Thompson: The Brexit Possibility — Stratechery Ben Thompson: TV Advertising’s Surprising Strength — And Inevitable Fall — Str … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss how the TV industry and the companies that advertise on TV are interconnected, and how they will rise and fall together. Links Ben Thompson: TV Advertising’s Surprising Strength — and Inevitable Fall — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Cord Cutting Fantasy — Str … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn and Apple’s WWDC announcements, and figure out why they feel so differently about the two of them. Links James Allworth: Who’s going to be having sleepless nights after Microsoft’s LinkedIn deal? — Medium Ben Thompson: Mic … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the present and future of podcasts, and how media companies need to take a holistic approach to their businesses. Links Ben Thompson: The Future of Podcasts — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Why Web Pages Suck — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Publishers and the Smiling … | Continue reading
Ben and James explain why Alexa is an even bigger deal than it seems, and why both Apple and Google should fear Amazon. Plus, why Microsoft’s challenges are only beginning. Links Ben Thompson: The Amazon Tax — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Jeff Bezos at the Code Conference — Stratech … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss briefly revisit last week’s discussion on Facebook, then discuss the Peter Thiel versus Gawker affair, and the implications for tech broadly. Then, how culture helps and hurts at Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Links Ben Thompson: The Real Problem wi … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the allegations that Facebook is censoring conservative news, and renew their ongoing debate about Facebook’s power. Then, why Google’s current situation is similar to Microsoft, even though the long-term looks good. Links Want to Know What Facebook Really T … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss how the world will change, how change happens in companies and society, and debate whether or not we have crossed the rubicon to a new world. Links Ben Thompson: Everything as a Service — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Friction — Stratechery Farhad Manjoo: The U … | Continue reading
Ben and James follow-up on last week’s Apple services discussion and take a look at Apple’s earnings. Then a discussion of the European Commissions investigation of Google for antitrust, and a debate about how antitrust regulation needs to change, if at all. Links Episode 076: Ap … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the different types of organizational structures, the benefits Apple gains from having a unitary form, and whether or not the company should make changes to more effectively compete in services. Links Ben Thompson: Apple’s Organizational Crossroads — Stratec … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss Facebook F8, how the company is trying to own both public and private social, and why Messenger is a good idea, but bots may not be. Links Twitter Has Outsized Influence, but It Doesn’t Drive Much Traffic for Most News Orgs, a New Report Says — NiemanLab Ben … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the Tesla phenomena, how they built such a powerful brand, and debate whether that will be enough to lead the company to success. Links Ben Thompson: It’s a Tesla — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Tesla Skepticism and Superchargers — Stratechery Daily Update Tesla … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss how Snapchat has built it’s product so effectively, the narcissist in all of us, and the structure of social around the world. Links Ben Thompson: Snapchat’s Ladder — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Old-Fashioned Snapchat — Stratechery Snapchat’s Updated Policies … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss continue last week’s discussion about Apple’s struggles with the cloud, then discuss why the iPhone SE is such a brilliant move — and how those two things are related. Plus, an after-show about Microsoft and Intel and what makes for an effective leader. Link … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the connection between Amazon’s business model and organizational structure, why Dropbox shouldn’t have left AWS, and why Apple should buy Dropbox. Plus, does WeWork’s valuation make sense, and why such company’s are exciting. Links Ben Thompson: The Amazon … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the Amazon Echo, Apple’s cloudy future, Google’s Missed Opportunity, and why Amazon has so much growth potential ahead of it. Links Ben Thompson: Why Uber Fights — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Amazon Echo Expands — Stratechery Daily Update Ben Thompson: The Ama … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss how the aggregation of media led to a weakening of political parties, opening the door to unexpected candidates. Plus, why Facebook’s focus on engagement might be dangerous, and why diversity is important from day one. This episode is sponsored by Wunder Cap … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss Apple versus the FBI. Links James Allworth: The U.S. has Gone F&*%ing Mad — Medium James Allworth: How the Apple/FBI Fight Risks the Whole U.S. Tech Industry — Harvard Business Review Ben Thompson: Apple, The FBI, and Security — Stratechery Radley Balko: Sur … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the mistakes made by Zenefits, when to challenge regulation, and the problem with short-term thinking. This podcast was recorded before the Apple/FBI news broke; we currently plan to cover that next week. This episode is sponsored by Wunder Capital. Make a g … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss winner-take-all dynamics and its implications for advertising, bubble talk, and venture capital. Plus, what Facebook and Marc Andreessen got wrong about Free Basics and India. This episode is sponsored by Wunder Capital. Make a good investment and do good at … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss Apple earnings, Twitter’s troubles, and whether or not the Internet is over-rated. This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront. See recommended portfolios and get up to $15,000 managed for free by visiting Wealthfront.com/exponent. Links Ben Thompson: Apple’s G … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the Donald Trump and inequality, then FANG, Aggregation Theory, and Disruption. This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront. See recommended portfolios and get up to $15,000 managed for free by visiting Wealthfront.com/exponent. Links Michael Brendan: How an Ob … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the future of cars and transportation. This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront. See recommended portfolios and get up to $15,000 managed for free by visiting Wealthfront.com/Exponent. Links Ben Thompson: Cars and the Future — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Car F … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss Paul Graham’s essay on inequality and the politics of technology. This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront. See recommended portfolios and get up to $15,000 managed for free by visiting Wealthfront.com/Exponent. Links Ben Thompson: A Politics for Technology … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss OpenAI’s new mission and what it says about capitalism. Or is it just a strategy credit that we are reading too much into? This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront. See recommended portfolios and get up to $15,000 managed for free by visiting Wealthfront.com … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss when disruption theory is useful — and when it isn’t. Note: We apologize for some mic fuzz issues on this podcast. This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront. See recommended portfolios and get up to $15,000 managed for free by visiting Wealthfront.com/Exponen … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss PC Gaming and the fascinating way in which it monetizes, leading to a wide-ranging discussion about how business has changed because of the Internet. This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront. See recommended portfolios and get up to $15,000 managed for free … | Continue reading
Ben and James touch on Twitter’s new “Like” button before diving into what might be a new model for publishing. Then, a discussion of bundle economics and Stratechery’s future. Buckle up! This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront. See recommended portfolios and get up to $15,000 m … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the importance of the user experience in not only avoiding disruption but also in building dominant companies. It’s a key component of Aggregation Theory This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront. See recommended portfolios and get up to $15,000 managed for f … | Continue reading
Ben and James try to make sense of YouTube Red. Plus, why is Amazon responding to The New York Times now? This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront. See recommended portfolios and get up to $15,000 managed for free by visiting Wealthfront.com/Exponent. Links Ben Thompson: YouTube … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss how cloud services have set the stage for fundamental changes in venture capital, just as they have in the enterprise. This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront. See recommended portfolios and get up to $15,000 managed for free by visiting Wealthfront.com/Exp … | Continue reading
NOTE: James’ mic developed a bad connection half-way through the podcast. We apologize for the audio fuzz. Ben and James make clear that they know pollution causes death, then discuss the future of brand advertising. Then, a rather strident debate as to whether radical ideas will … | Continue reading
We start with Volkswagen, then mortgages, then Ben’s time in Taiwan, and finally end with a critique of the Apple Watch. It all makes sense in the end. Hopefully. This episode is sponsored by Zendesk. Make your customer service seem like magic by building it directly into your ap … | Continue reading
Ben and James briefly discuss ad-blockers, then admit it’s an academic debate and move on to the business of advertising and the far more profound shifts that are caused on the Internet and by new places on the Internet. Note: This podcast references Marco Arment’s Peace applicat … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss James’ sophomore experience at Burning Man, and then turn to the iPad Pro and its paucity of quality of applications. Just how much is Apple responsible? This episode is sponsored by Zendesk. Make your customer service seem like magic by building it directly … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the New York Times exposé on Amazon’s work practices at its Seattle headquarters. What exactly was the story about, what questions are raised by it, and more importantly, what are the right answers for not just Amazon but society as a whole? This episode is … | Continue reading
Ben and James discuss the decision by the California Labor Commission that at least one Uber driver is an employee: will this affect the company’s valuation? More broadly, is this a good or a bad thing for society, and why is it that people blame Uber for societal shortcomings? T … | Continue reading
In this week’s episode, Ben and James discuss Dick Costolo stepping down as CEO of Twitter, Apple’s seeming war on Google, and the concerning launch of Apple Music. Links Ben Thompson: Dick Costolo Out as Twitter CEO, Costolo’s Key Shortcoming, Twitter’s Next CEO — Stratechery Da … | Continue reading
In this week’s episode, Ben and James briefly discuss Jony Ive’s promotion, the future of Apple, Google I/O, and Tim Cook’s speech on privacy. Links Ben Thompson: The Apple Car and Jony Ive — Stratechery Daily Update Ben Thompson: Google IO: Android and Serving the World; Photos, … | Continue reading
In this week’s episode, Ben and James discuss ad-blockers, both personal ones and the rumored carrier-implemented one, as well as Internet.org and the moral quandary that is the Internet. Links Ben Thompson: Carriers to Implement Ad-Blocking — Stratechery Daily Update (members-on … | Continue reading
In this week’s episode, Ben finally has an Apple Watch: James has lots of questions about it. (And yes, we should have talked about Google Now.) Links Horace Dediu: The Battle for The Wrist — Asymco Ben Thompson: Mobile Makes Facebook Just an App; That’s Great News – Stratechery … | Continue reading
In this week’s episode Ben and James discuss why Twitter needs new leadership, its massive potential, and why Google probably should acquire it Links Ben Thompson: Twitter Needs New Leadership – Stratechery Ben Thompson: Twitter’s Marketing Problem – Stratechery Ben Thompson: Fac … | Continue reading
In this week’s episode Ben and James discuss the prospects for Google’s Project Fi as well as Facebook’s decision to change their News Feed algorithm Links Project Fi – Google Ben Thompson: Google Launches Project Fi – Stratechery Daily Update (members-only) How Google’s Project … | Continue reading
In this week’s episode Ben and James thank John Siracusa then dive into the EU’s antitrust investigation of Google and discuss whether or not antitrust is more or less important in technology. Links John Siracusa: OS X Reviewed – Hypercritical John Siracusa: OS X 10.10 Yosemite R … | Continue reading
In this week’s episode Ben and James discuss whether or not there is a bubble, as well as a bit on the Apple Watch. Please note this was recorded before the Apple Watch reviews were released. Links Ben Thompson: It’s Not 1999 – Stratechery The Unicorn List – Fortune Ben Thompson: … | Continue reading
In this week’s episode Ben and James discuss BuzzFeed in the context of the Brother Orange story, then talk about Amazon’s Dash Button and Home Services initiative, along with a dive into the technical details of Amazon’s balance sheet (sorry, it’s a bit dry) and why Ben is nervo … | Continue reading