Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson

By Ben Thompson

A podcast about understanding how tech works and the way it is changing the world. Hosted by Andrew Sharp with Ben Thompson.... more

· Technology

4.7

9090 ratings

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FAQs about Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson:

How many episodes does Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson have?

The podcast currently has 229 episodes available.

Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson episodes:

May 29, 2025 (Preview) The End of the Ad-Supported Internet, Imagining What Comes Next, A Human-AI Agent PSA
Discussing Ben's Article on the future of the agentic web, including the virtues of the ad-supported internet we've enjoyed for the last three decades, why that model is becoming less viable as the years pass, and the potential for new solutions as agentic web traffic proliferates in the years and decades to come. At the end: An epiphany surrounding AI workflows and chain of thought exchanges between employers and their employees.
To email the show: [email protected]
@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube
@Stratechery Channel — YouTube
The Agentic Web and Original Sin — Stratechery
Personalized Advertising — Minority Report (2002)
Claude 4, Anthropic Agents, Human-AI Agents — Stratechery Update
Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year.
...more
13min
May 22, 2025 OpenAI Enters the Hardware Business, The Challenges and Opportunities for Jony Ive, Takeaways from Google I/O 2025
Ben and Andrew react to the news that OpenAI is acquiring Jony Ive's hardware startup for $6.5 billion worth of stock, including questions about the form factor of future AI devices, challenges inherent to manufacturing hardware in 2025, the logic of these ambitions for OpenAI, and yes, a few words about the 9-minute video announcing the deal. At the end: Google's plans for its search business, Veo 3 and gen AI videos, and Ben's appearance on the Bill Simmons Podcast this week.
To email the show: [email protected]
@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube
@Stratechery Channel — YouTube
OpenAI Acquires io, OpenAI’s Strategic Positioning, Apple’s Worsening AI Problem — Stratechery Update
OpenAI to Buy AI Device Startup From Apple Veteran Jony Ive in $6.5 Billion Deal — Bloomberg
Sam & Jony introduce io — OpenAI
A conversation with Jony Ive — Stripe (YouTube)
Google I/O, The Search Funnel, Product Possibilities — Stratechery Update
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana and Giannis Trades — The Bill Simmons Podcast
Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year.
...more
1h 5min
May 19, 2025 (Preview) The U.S. Partners with the Middle East in AI, Why OpenAI Is Acquiring Windsurf, Google’s Side of the Platform Wars
The implications of last week’s announcements on AI investments from Saudi Arabia and the UAE (and the repeal of the AI Diffusion rules), Ben’s thoughts on OpenAI’s acquisition of Windsurf, and questions about Android and VRBO vs. Airbnb.
To email the show: [email protected]
@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube
@Stratechery Channel — YouTube
Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year.
...more
10min
May 15, 2025 (Preview) Airbnb and Its Varied Ambitions, The High Agency Golden Era, HBO Max and the End of an Error
Reactions to a revamped app and the expanded ambitions of Airbnb, an excellent email about practical considerations for leaders if AI accelerates a bifurcation of society, and thoughts on HBO's rebrand and ESPN's new streaming app.
To email the show: [email protected]
@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube
@Stratechery Channel — YouTube
Airbnb’s New App, Experiences and Services, Chesky’s Founder Mode — Stratechery Update
It’s Not Max, It’s HBO Max: Streaming Service Flips Name Again — Bloomberg
Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year.
...more
12min
May 08, 2025 Apple and the Power of Platforms, AI Comes for Google Search, ChatGPT Comes for Higher Education
Talking Platform Power and 15 years of App Store arguments, with topics including Ben's memories from Microsoft, the difference between regulating platforms and aggregators, and the case for intervening in the App Store today. Then: Eddy Cue testifies that Apple is exploring AI search options for Safari, and a New York Magazine feature on ChatGPT in colleges sparks thoughts on tech, higher education, and Blue Books.
To email the show: [email protected]
@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube
@Stratechery Channel — YouTube
Platform Power Is Underrated — Stratechery
Apple Eyes Move to AI Search, Ending Era Defined by Google — Bloomberg
Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College — NY Mag
AI Homework — Stratechery
Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year.
...more
1h 20min
May 05, 2025 (Preview) What’s Next for Apple and the App Store, The Risks of Continuing This Fight, More on Meta and Its AI Vision
Ben's Daily Update on Friday and Apple's argument appealing the order in Epic v. Apple, the risks facing Apple as they've continued to fight these battles the past several years, and questions for the future as the present gets increasingly messy. At the end: Meta's plans for AI business agents, an emailer asks whether Meta's message today means Facebook failed yesterday, and a proposal for AI officiating in the NBA is soundly rejected.
To email the show: [email protected]
@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube
@Stratechery Channel — YouTube
Apple Held in Contempt, The Crux of the Case, The Takings Clause — Stratechery Update
Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year.
...more
14min
May 01, 2025 (Preview) Meta and Its Many Plans in AI, Apple Gets Hammered in Court, The Costs of Waiting to Do the Right Thing
A 360 degree look at Meta's AI efforts after Ben's sitdown with Mark Zuckerberg and Meta's launch of a standalone AI app. Then: Reactions to Wednesday's holding that Apple violated a court order and may be criminally liable for its behavior, responses to an email about a broadened understanding of consumer welfare, and a Punchbowl News headache for Amazon.
To email the show: [email protected]
@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube
@Stratechery Channel — YouTube
An Interview with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg About AI and the Evolution of Social Media — Stratechery Interview
Meta’s AI Abundance — Stratechery
Apple Dealt Stinging Court Defeat on App Store Sales Commissions — Bloomberg
Amazon, Trump, and Tariff Costs; Amazon Haul and Temu; Political Lessons — Stratechery Update
Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year.
...more
11min
April 28, 2025 (Preview) All About AI Companions: Personalization Upsides, Dystopian Downsides, AI Therapy, Advertising Tension, and Lots More
After last week's conversation about AI for companionship, Ben and Andrew answer emails about the future of personalized LLM answers, speculative costs and benefits, the tension between building trust and building a product with 3 billion customers, and much more.
To email the show: [email protected]
@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube
@Stratechery Channel — YouTube
ChatGPT Memory, Boundaries and AI Companions, Auren — Stratechery Update
Tech’s Two Philosophies — Stratechery
How People Are Really Using Gen AI in 2025 — Harvard Business Review
Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year.
...more
11min
April 24, 2025 Apple and the Ghosts of Companies Past, Privacy at the Expense of Performance, The Cook Question
Talking through Ben's article on Apple and the Ghosts of Companies Past, including Apple's religious commitment to privacy, untapped platform potential in AI, parallels to Intel, and why Tim Cook is probably the wrong CEO to undertake the cultural shifts today that may be required for the company to thrive tomorrow. At the end: An AppleTV+ public service announcement.
To email the show: [email protected]
@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube
@Stratechery Channel — YouTube
Apple and the Ghosts of Companies Past — Stratechery
The Intel Opportunity — Stratechery
The Deal That Makes No Sense — Stratechery
Apple is Losing Over $1 Billion a Year on Streaming Service — The Information
Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year.
...more
1h 1min
April 21, 2025 (Preview) What Memory Can Do for ChatGPT, OpenAI's Future and Google's Circles Past, What College Football Can Teach Us About Tech
Talking through the implications of memory capabilities for ChatGPT, the future of AI companionship, OpenAI's platform ambitions, and why Google Circles never found a market. At the end: College football, tech, and a bit of Bell Labs history.
To email the show: [email protected]
@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube
@Stratechery Channel — YouTube
ChatGPT can now remember and reference all your previous chats — Ars Technica
ChatGPT Memory, Boundaries and AI Companions, Auren — Stratechery Update
Get all episodes of Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year.
...more
16min

FAQs about Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson:

How many episodes does Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson have?

The podcast currently has 229 episodes available.

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