Exponent

Ben and James discuss Apple’s WWDC keynote, playing to your strengths, and privacy that matters. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Apple’s Strengths and Weaknesses — Stratechery IAMA Foxconn insider with information on next 12 months of hardware updates — Reddit Ben Thompson: Apple’s Organizational Crossroads — Stratechery How Apple’s Siri Lost Her Mojo — Wall Street Journal Zac Cichy on Apple and Privacy — Twitter Ben Thompson: Strategy Credit — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Tim Cook’s Unfair and Unrealistic Privacy Speech, Strategy Credits, The Privacy Priority Problem — Stratechery Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information … Continue reading Episode 117 — Fruitful Clapping

Ben and James discuss myths, culture, and blockchains — and yes, bubbles. NOTE: The original version had a corrupted file. Our apologies. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Tulips, Myths, and Cryptocurrencies — Stratechery Abhishek Chakravarty: The Product Manager’s guide to the Blockchain  — Medium Yuval Noah Harari: Sapiens Fred Ehrsam: Blockchain Tokens and the dawn of the Decentralized Business Model — Coinbase Blog Greeks are Rushing to Bitcoin — CNN Facebook accused of targeting ‘insecure’ children and young people, report says — Mashable Ben Thompson: The Cost of Bitcoin — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Selling Feelings — Stratechery Hosts Ben Thompson, … Continue reading Episode 116 — Blockchain Beauty Contest

Ben and James discuss Google I/O, the importance of business relative to technology, and why Uber is in trouble. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Boring Google — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Google’s Go-to-Market — Stratechery How Uber and Waymo Ended Up Rivals in the Race for Driverless Cars — New York Times Ben Thompson: Does Uber Have a Strategy Problem? — Stratechery Daily Update Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented by MailChimp

Ben and James discuss why figuring out a new model means abandoning the old, this time in the context of newspapers and news. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: The Local News Business Model — Stratechery Jim Rutenberg: Ad Buyers Have a Say in Whether Real News Survives — New York Times Ben Thompson: Wikitribune — Stratechery Daily Update Ben Thompson: Why BuzzFeed is the Most Important News Organization in the World — Stratechery Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented by MailChimp

Ben and James discuss how leverage shifts in a value chain, why WeChat is so powerful in China, and why that is a problem for Apple. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Apple’s China Problem — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Messaging: Mobile’s Killer App — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Slack and the State of Technology at the End of 2015 — Stratechery Connie Chan: When One App Rules Them All: The Case of WeChat and Mobile in China — a16z Ben Thompson: Peak Google — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Beyond Disruption — Stratechery James Allworth: The Blessing of Failure — Medium Ben Thompson: The State … Continue reading Episode 113 — WeChat, China, and Apple

Ben and James discuss whether or not monopolies are good, the differences between education and healthcare, and how to build an economy of the future. Presented by MailChimp Links Episode 012: The Internet Rainforest — Exponent Episode 005: The World Has Changed — Exponent Ben Thompson: Not OK, Google — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Facebook and the Cost of Monopoly — Stratechery How Google Eats a Business Whole — The Outline Meet the Google Alum Who Created China’s Facebook-Groupon Mashup — Bloomberg Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented … Continue reading Episode 112 — It’s Complicated

Ben and James discuss what it means if Facebook is a monopoly, what is lost if it is, and why there isn’t anything that can be done about it — for now. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: The Facebook Epoch — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Facebook and the Cost of Monopoly — Stratechery Kurt Gessler: Facebook’s algorithm isn’t surfacing one-third of our posts. And it’s getting worse — Medium Ben Thompson: Manifestos and Monopolies — Stratechery Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented by MailChimp

James and Ben discuss moral hazard and what seems to be going wrong with the U.S. economy, the different kinds of regulation, and how the App Store explains government policy. Presented by MailChimp Links James Allworth: Prioritizing Economics is Crippling the U.S. Economy — Medium Ryne Rohla: Creating a National Precinct Map — Decision Desk HQ Jeff Bezos: Annual Letter to Shareholders — SEC Matt Stoller: How Democrats Killed Their Populist Soul — The Atlantic Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented by MailChimp

Ben and James discuss Apple’s Mac Pro screw-up and what it might say about the company and its culture. Presented by MailChimp Links John Gruber: The Mac Pro Lives — Daring Fireball Jay Yarow: Phil Schiller on Apple’s Ad Agency in an Email — Business Insider Ben Thompson: Whither Liberal Arts — Stratechery Apple iPad Air Ad — YouTube Steve Jobs After the GarageBand Demo During the Introduction of the iPad 2 — YouTube Ben Thompson: Apple’s Organizational Crossroads — Stratechery Ben Thompson: From Products to Platforms — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Why Doesn’t Apple Enable Sustainable Business on the App … Continue reading Episode 109 — Screw-ups Are Fun!

Ben and James discuss the meaning of artificial intelligence, whether machine learning qualifies, and a platform for dealing with the impact. Presented by MailChimp Links Chris Dixon: How Aristotle Created the Computer — The Atlantic Ben Thompson: The Arrival of Artificial Intelligence — Stratechery Dan Primack: Takeaways from Steve Mnuchins Axios Interview — Axios Maureen Dowd: Elon Musk’s Billion-Dollar Crusade to Stop the A.I. Apocalypse — Vanity Fair The Most Common Jobs in Every State — NPR At Blackrock, Machines Are Rising over Managers to Pick Stocks — [The New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/business/dealbook/blackrock-actively-managed- Ben Thompson: Verizon, AOL, Facebook Instant Articles, and … Continue reading Episode 108 — Statistics Gone Wild

Ben and James discuss the concept of The Smiling Curve and how it applies to various industries. Then, where value might be found in self-driving cars, and why both Uber and Google are getting it wrong. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Aggregation Theory — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Publishers and the Smiling Curve — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Intel, Mobileye, and Smiling Curves — Stratechery Episode 012: The Internet Rainforest — Exponent “After SO many years of being lost, we finally have Aaliyah’s performance of ‘Try Again’ on Jay Leno. This is RARE as fuck.” — Twitter Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, … Continue reading Episode 107 — Smiling Curves and Self-Driving Cars

Ben and James discuss Uber’s recent scandals, and debate whether the company’s business actions can be separated from its culture. Presented by MailChimp Links Susan Fowler Rigetti: Reflecting on One Very, Very Strange Year at Uber — SusanJFowler.com Ben Thompson: The Uber Conflation — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Crisis at Uber, Uber’s Culture, Who is Responsible? — Stratechery Daily Update Brad Stone: The Upstarts — Hachette Book Group Ben Thompson: Tech Morality — Stratechery Daily Update Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented by MailChimp

Ben and James discuss Mark Zuckerberg’s manifesto, the problem with regulation, and why Facebook needs exactly that. Presented by MailChimp Links Mark Zuckerberg: Building Global Community — Facebook Ben Thompson: Manifestos and Monopolies — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Inspired Media — Stratechery James Allworth: Founders and Motivation — Stratechery The Ezra Klein Podcast: Tim Wu’s Interesting, Unusual, Fascinating Life — Panoply Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented by MailChimp

Ben and James compare Snap and Facebook to Apple and Microsoft, and worry that Snap’s business is misaligned. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Snap’s Apple Strategy — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Truth About Windows Versus the Mac — Stratechery Ben Thompson: What Clayton Christensen Got Wrong — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Audacity of Copying Well — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Aggregation Theory — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Snapchat Spectacles and the Future of Wearables — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Old-Fashioned Snapchat — Stratechery Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented by … Continue reading Episode 104 — Snap’s Gingerbread Strategy

Ben and James discuss what kind of politicians and products cut through in the Internet age, and why they are profoundly different than what worked before. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Inspired Media — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Voters Decide — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Friction — Stratechery James Allworth: The U.S. has Gone F&*%ing Mad — Medium Ben Thompson on How to Make It in the Media in 2016 — The Ezra Klein Show Journalism That Stands Apart — New York TimesTh Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter … Continue reading Episode 103 — Dull Knives Don’t Cut

Ben and James discuss the history of messaging apps, the rise of Snapchat, and why Instagram Stories was such a brilliant move. NOTE: The original audio file had a problem at the 36:50 mark; if you encounter this, please delete the file from your podcast app and re-download. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: The Audacity of Copying Well — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Snapchat’s Ladder — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Facebook, Phones, and Phonebooks — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Snapchat User Growth Concerns, What Makes Snapchat Valuable? — Stratechery Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information … Continue reading Episode 102 — Snakes and Ladders

Ben and James discuss why different types of media have responded to the Internet with varying degrees of success. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: The Great Unbundling — Stratechery Chris Dixon: How Bundling Benefits Sellers and Buyers — cdixon blog The Netflix Backlash: Why Hollywood Fears a Content Monopoly — Hollywood Reporter Ben Thompson: Netflix and the Conservation of Attractive Profits — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Jobs That TV Does — Stratechery James Allworth: The Blessing of Failure — Medium Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented … Continue reading Episode 101 — TV is the Oak Tree

Ben and James celebrate two milestones: 10 years for the iPhone, and 100 episodes for Exponent. This is a good one: it in many respects summarizes the entire run of both Exponent and Stratechery. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: The Ten Year Anniversary of the Apple TV — Stratechery Ben Thompson: What Clayton Christensen Got Wrong — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Beyond Disruption — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Shameless Samsung — Stratechery Ben Thompson: How Apple Creates Leverage, and the Future of Apple Pay — Stratechery Ben Thompson: From Products to Platforms — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Friction — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The … Continue reading Episode 100 — The Anniversary Episode: iPhone and Exponent

Ben and James discuss Amazon Alexa and the history of operating systems Presented by MailChimp Links Is That an Echo? — Exponent Episode 070 Ben Thompson — The Amazon Tax We Have Always Been at War with Amazon — Exponent Episode 081 Ben Thompson: Alexa: Amazon’s Operating System — Stratechery Voice Recognition Technology — YouTube Ben Thompson: The Truth About Windows Versus the Mac — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Aggregation Theory — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Beyond Disruption — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Mobile Makes Facebook Just an App; That’s Great News — Stratechery James Allworth: The Blessing of Failure — Medium Hosts … Continue reading Episode 099 — Fate Has a Sense of Irony

Ben and James discuss real estate and Opendoor, and the types of startups that will succeed in the future. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Opendoor: A Startup Worth Emulating — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Zillow Acquires Trulia — Stratechery Daily Update Ben Thompson: Google Self-Driving Cars = Waymo — Stratechery Daily Update Ben Thompson: Google, Uber, and the Evolution of Transportation-As-A-Service — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Aggregation Theory — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Netflix and the Conservation of Attractive Profits — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The State of Technology at the End of 2016 — Stratechery Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, … Continue reading Episode 098 — Shattered Glass