Exponent

Ben and James discuss Facebook’s latest run-in with the media: both are wrong but for different reasons. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Facebook Versus the Media — Stratechery Espen Egil Hansen: Dear Mark. I am writing this to inform you that I shall not comply with your requirement to remove this picture. — Aftenposten Ben Thompson: What the Media Misses About Facebook, Facebook’s Missing Humans — 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 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? — Medium Naked People — Exponent Ben Thompson: Beyond the iPhone — Stratechery Farhad Manjoo: What’s Really Missing From the New iPhone: Cutting-Edge Design — New York Times Ben Thompson: Apple’s Organizational Crossroads — Stratechery Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’ — The Washington Post Ben Thompson: Apple’s PR Push, Maps and … Continue reading Episode 087 — Meditations on Courage

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 Facebook And Mark Zuckerberg Went All In On Live Video — BuzzFeed Ben Thompson: Facebook and the Feed — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Pokémon Go Phenomonan, Nintendo’s Pivot, Additional Notes on Pokémon Go — Stratechery Daily Update Ben Thompson: Activision Blizzard Buys King Digital — Stratechery Daily Update Aaron Levie: Nintendo’s … Continue reading Episode 086 — Following a Pokémon Off a Cliff

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 — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Follow-up: The Big Picture — Stratechery James Allworth: Brexit, Trump, and the Ultimatum Game — Medium Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Sponsorship Inquiry

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 — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Why Disney and ESPN Will Be OK — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Old-Fashioned Snapchat — Stratechery Ben Thompson: How Technology is Changing the World (P&G Edition) — Stratechery Ken Doctor: The Macy’s Factor — Politico Ben Thompson: Cars and the Future — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Publishers and the Smiling Curve — Stratechery Ben … Continue reading Episode 084 — The Old World Order

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: Microsoft and Apple Double Down — Stratechery Ben Thompson: How Satya Nadella Killed Windows Phone — Stratechery Microsoft’s Nadella Manages Legacy of Ballmer-Board Split — Bloomberg Ben Thompson: The Deal That Makes No Sense — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Curse of Culture — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Apple’s Organizational Crossroads — Stratechery James Allworth: The Blessing of Failure … Continue reading Episode 083 — Microsoft & LinkedIn versus Apple & WWDC

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 Curve — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Grantland and the (Surprising) Future of Publishing — Stratechery Ezra Klein Show: Ben Thompson on How to Make it in the Media in 2016 — Vox Marco Arment: Apple’s Actual Role in Podcasting: Be Careful What You Wish For — Marco.org Podcasts Surge, but Producers Fear Apple Isn’t Listening … Continue reading Episode 082 — A Podcast About Podcasts

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 — Stratechery Daily Update Jeff Bezos Intervew at the Code Conference: Video, Podcast, Live Blog Now We’re Talking: Amazon Alexa Comes to Pebble Core — Pebble Ben Thompson: Twilio Files for IPO — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Google’s Go-to-Market Gap — Stratechery James Allworth: The Blessing of Failure — Medium Ben Thompson: Mobile Makes Facebook … Continue reading Episode 081 — We Have Always Been at War with Amazon

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 with Facebook and the News — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Peter Thiel, Comic Book Hero — Stratechery (note: this was written after the podcast) When the Most Personal Secrets Get Outed on Facebook — Wall Street Journal Ben Thompson: The Curse of Culture — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Google’s Go-to-Market Gap — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Everything as a Service — … Continue reading Episode 080 — Multiple Full Circles

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 Thinks of Journalists? Here’s What Happened When It Hired Some. — Gizmodo Former Facebook Workers: We Routinely Suppressed Conservative News — Gizmodo Nilay Patel: Let’s Say Obvious Things About Facebook and Conservative News — The Verge Ben Thompson: The Voters Decide — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Real Problem with Facebook and the News — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Defending … Continue reading Episode 079 — Twerk the Algorithm