Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson

Latest Episodes:

A Stratechery, Sharp Tech, and Sharp China Crossover on the Chip Ban, Taiwan, TikTok and More Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

After one year of Sharp Tech and Sharp China, a summit with Ben Thompson, Bill Bishop and Andrew Sharp to discuss podcasting, the chip ban, the US-China relationship and beyond.

To email the show: email@sharptech.fm

To read the full transcript, click here.

Get Sharp Tech Premium, Sharp China, Stratechery Update, Stratechery Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $12/month.

Will We Speak to Chatbots or Write to Them?, Obstacles for Apple and OpenAI, Follow-Up on Tech and Real Estate Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

An emailer makes the argument for text over voice as the AI interface of the future, the introduction of Humane's AI pin, and questions for Apple and OpenAI as the AI ecosystem evolves. At the end: A few clarifications from listeners and more thoughts on tech and the real estate market.

To email the show: email@sharptech.fm

The OpenAI Keynote — Stratechery

Realtors Lose in Court, Zillow and Real Estate Aggregation, From Franchises to Businesses — Stratechery Update

AI, Hardware, and Virtual Reality — Stratechery

This is the Humane Ai Pin — @Humane

Get Sharp Tech Premium, Sharp China, Stratechery Update, Stratechery Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $12/month.

Waiting for Immersive ChatGPT, ChatGPT and the Consumer Challenge, OpenAI’s Enterprise vs. Consumer Balancing Act Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

The possibilities of a universal chatbot for the future, the challenges for any new consumer tech company trying to match the scale of incumbents, and the strategic questions facing OpenAI as its leadership allocates resources and considers a move into hardware.

To email the show: email@sharptech.fm

The OpenAI Keynote — Stratechery

OpenAI DevDay, Opening Keynote — OpenAI

More on Google and AI; OpenAI, Integration, and Microsoft — Stratechery Update

The End of the Beginning — Stratechery

AI Homework — Stratechery

Designer Jony Ive and OpenAI’s Sam Altman Discuss AI Hardware Project — The Information

Get Sharp Tech Premium, Sharp China, Stratechery Update, Stratechery Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $12/month.

(Preview) The Future of Buying and Selling Houses, Two Price Fixing Lawsuits, The In-Season Tournament and Ronald Reagan Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

A verdict in Missouri portends big changes in the real estate industry, why real estate is a natural fit for an aggregator, and divergent outcomes from two tech-adjacent price-fixing cases. At the end: The NBA and streaming, and Ronald Reagan’s version of Mission: Impossible.

To email the show: email@sharptech.fm

The Way You Pay to Buy or Sell a Home Is About to Change — Wall Street Journal

Atlantic City Hotels Turn Attention to Vegas Courthouse in Pricing Algorithms Case — The National Law Review

An Interview with Opendoor CEO Eric Wu About Building a Marketplace in a Real Estate Slowdown — Stratechery Interview

Opendoor Earnings, Opendoor’s Pricing, Opendoor’s Scalability — Stratechery Update

Are Broker Commissions Too High? — New York Times

Get Sharp Tech Premium, Sharp China, Stratechery Update, Stratechery Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $12/month.

Biden’s Executive Order on AI, Innovation and the Steve Jobs Approach, Balancing AI Risks and Upside Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

The White House executive order on AI, the accidental lesson of all the analogies to nuclear technology, what Steve Jobs and Bill Gates can teach us about innovation, and a look at the competing systemic priorities that create AI questions without clear answers.

To email the show: email@sharptech.fm

Attenuating Innovation (AI) — Stratechery

An Interview with Daniel Gross and Nat Friedman about the AI Hype Cycle — Stratechery Interview

Netflix Follow-Up, The Senate Tech Bill — Stratechery Update

Biden wants to move fast on AI safeguards and signs an executive order to address his concerns — The Associated Press

Fukushima Outrage Continues; Secretary Raimondo in China; Perfect Timing for a Huawei Launch; TikTok Lobbyists Take a Bow — Sharp China

Taking On AI | Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One — Paramount Pictures YouTube Channel

Get Sharp Tech Premium, Sharp China, Stratechery Update, Stratechery Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $12/month.

(Preview) 100th Episode Mailbag: New MacBooks, CarPlay Closure, Dennard Scaling and the Chip Ban, Netflix and a Prestige Tier, Hardware as a Service Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

Celebrating 100 episodes of Sharp Tech with quick thoughts on Monday night's Apple event, a second look at GM's foray into software, the tech CEO that should be the next NBA commissioner, and more emails from listeners.

To email the show: email@sharptech.fm

GM thinks it can wean you off Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — The Verge

Apple unveils the new MacBook Pro featuring the M3 family of chips, making the world’s best pro laptop even better — Apple Newsroom

China Chips and Moore’s Law — Stratechery

The World’s Biggest Carmaker Made a Huge Bet on Tech. Things Went Wrong Fast. — Wall Street Journal

Get Sharp Tech Premium, Sharp China, Stratechery Update, Stratechery Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $12/month.

Netflix Revives the Monoculture, The NBA and Its Rights Fee Future, The Bidding Calculus for Amazon and Disney Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

A Netflix letter to shareholders that doubles as a message to the rest of Hollywood, the NBA’s precarious negotiating posture as the cable bundle crumbles, and one way Amazon could make the NBA a worthwhile investment.

To email the show: email@sharptech.fm

Netflix Earnings, Netflix’s Licensing Pitch, Netflix Gaming Revisited — Stratechery Update

Amazon Is Eyeing an NBA Package for Tuesdays or Thursdays — Front Office Sports

ESPN Financials, NBA Spin, Jon Stewart vs. Apple — Stratechery Update

ESPN May Be Worth $22 Billion Based on First Look at Results — Bloomberg

An ESPN Aggregator, Google Magic Eraser, Bing Chat Monetization? — Stratechery Update

What the NBA Can Learn From Formula 1 — Stratechery

Get Sharp Tech Premium, Sharp China, Stratechery Update, Stratechery Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $12/month.

(Preview) Google’s Calculus with Mobile Search, What US v. Google Makes Clear About Apple, Two Types of Regulation Oct 23, 2023

Show notes

The Maps history that undergirds Google’s partnership with Apple, whether the Apple and Google app stores should be regulated like modern day utility companies, and a question about regulation and ideological consistency. At the end: iPhone etiquette, a Delta update, and TikTot on interesting parents and adult supervision.

To email the show: email@sharptech.fm

Google and the Limits of Strategy — Stratechery

‘Unprecedented’ Secrecy in Google Trial as Tech Giants Push to Limit Disclosures — New York Times

Microsoft CEO warns of ‘nightmare’ future for AI if Google’s search dominance continues — CNN

Microsoft Says Apple Used Bing as Google ‘Bargaining Chip’ — Bloomberg

Get Sharp Tech Premium, Sharp China, Stratechery Update, Stratechery Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $12/month.

(Preview) The New York Times, Fake News, and Seven Years of Misdirected Energy Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

Memories of an article in 2016, a reminder that the impact of fake news is generally correlated to the speaker, not the speech, and a question about harm yields an answer about the importance precision and principles.

To email the show: email@sharptech.fm

Fake News — Stratechery

In Defense of The New York Times — Stratechery

Defining Information — Stratechery

Twitter, Responsibility, and Accountability — Stratechery

After Hospital Blast, Headlines Shift With Changing Claims — New York Times

Facebook Gave Data Access to Chinese Firm Flagged by U.S. Intelligence — New York Times

Get Sharp Tech Premium, Sharp China, Stratechery Update, Stratechery Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $12/month.

College Students and Chips, The Future of Computing (and the Limits of Physics), Formula 1 and Apple Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

An emailer recommends ignoring college students on Twitter, the strategic logic of America’s ban on the sale of advanced chips to China, and a few different questions about AI and our digital future. At the end: Apple’s rumored F1 interest and why the partnership makes sense.

To email the show: email@sharptech.fm

Phillies grand slam without announcers — @steph_turkey

Defining Information — Stratechery

An Interview with Chip War Author Chris Miller — Stratechery Interview

Chips and Geopolitics — Stratechery

The Huawei Mate 60 Pro, 7nm Background, Implications and Reactions — Stratechery Update

Apple set to take over Formula 1 — TheJudge13

Get Sharp Tech Premium, Sharp China, Stratechery Update, Stratechery Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $12/month.

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