1
Apple’s Mistake
While it’s possible to understand Apple’s motivations behind its decision to enable on-device scanning, the company had a better way to satisfy its societal obligations while preserving…
Ben Thompson
On the business, strategy, and impact of technology.
- Popular posts
- 180
- Total points
- 43,593
- HN comments
- 32,136
- Rank
- #6 personal
Visit stratechery.com → On Hacker News May 2013 – Oct 2026
Tech Industry & Business 180Society, Policy & Culture 48AI & Machine Learning 21Hardware & Electronics 17Career & Management 7Security & Privacy 4
2
Who's afraid of Chinese models?
Everyone is worried about Chinese models, but the frontier labs will be fine; we need to enable open U.S. alternatives.
3
The Anti-Amazon Alliance
Google Shopping is changing its model, suggesting Google is joining the Anti-Amazon Alliance; 3rd-party merchants should do the same.
4
The Google Squeeze
Google, the real Aggregator, is squeezing OTAs, which acted like Aggregators while depending on Google for demand. It’s easy to say Google is being unfair, but this may be better for consumer…
5
The China Cultural Clash
The NBA controversy in China highlights a culture clash that both tech companies and the U.S. government need to take to heart. Plus, why Tiktok being Chinese is increasingly a problem.
6
The End of Windows
The Windows division no longer exists at Microsoft, marking the end to a four-year process of changing Microsoft’s culture.
7
Cloudflare's Disruption
Cloudflare’s new storage offering is potentially disruptive both economically and strategically.
8
Intel Problems
Intel is in much more danger than its profits suggest; the problems are a long time in the making, and the solution is to split up the company.
9
Intel's Humbling
Intel under Pat Gelsinger is reaping the disaster that came from a lack of investment and execution a decade ago; the company, though, appears to be headed in the right direction, as evidenced by i…
10
Instagram’s CEO
The surprising resignation of Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger should not, in fact, be surprising: this became inevitable the moment they sold Instagram to Facebook.
11
Shopify and the Power of Platforms
It is all but impossible to beat an Aggregator head-on, as Walmart is trying to do with Amazon. The solution instead is to build a platform like Shopify.
12
US Intel
The U.S. taking an equity stake in Intel is a terrible idea; it also happens to be the least bad idea to make Intel Foundry viable.
13
IBM’s Old Playbook
IBM has bought Red Hat in an attempt to recreate its success in the 90s; it’s not clear, though, that the company or the market is the same.
14
Apple, Epic, and the App Store
The App Store is not one thing: it is installation, payments, and customer management; the further Apple gets from iOS, the worse its actions are for users and developers.
15
AWS, MongoDB, and the Economic Realities of Open Source
Amazon’s latest offering highlights the economic challenges facing open source companies — and Amazon should pay attention.
16
The Bill Gates Line
Understanding the differences between aggregators and platforms matters for companies interacting with them and also regulators considering antitrust.
17
AI Homework
The first obvious casualty of large language models is homework: the real training for everyone, though, and the best way to leverage AI, will be in verifying and editing information.
18
How Google Is Challenging AWS
AWS seems to have a dominant position in enterprise computing, but Google is trying to change the rules to favor their inherent strengths.
19
OpenAI's misalignment and Microsoft's gain
The end of a dramatic weekend in tech is that OpenAI has split and Microsoft is partnered with one and has hired the other; this is the ultimate failure case of what should have been a for-profit c…
20
Apple, ARM, and Intel
ARM Macs are imminent; why they make sense, and why the implications could be far-reaching, for not just Apple but also Intel.
21
Google Fights Back
At Google I/O, Google was the opposite of defensive: the company set out to make the case that its approach made for better products that makes people’s lives better
22
India, Jio, and the Four Internets
There are four Internets: China versus the U.S., and the E.U. and India. India’s potential new model rests on Jio.
23
United States vs. Google
The Justice Department’s lawsuit against Google is appropriately narrow, and if it fails it gives a template for Congressional action.
24
The Cost of Developers
Microsoft paid a lot for GitHub, because it had to pay directly for access to developers. It doesn’t have the leverage of users the way that Apple does on the App Store.
25
Apple Vision
Apple Vision is incredibly compelling, first as a product, and second as far as potential use cases. What it says about society, though, is a bit more pessimistic.
26
The End of OS X
OS X is retired, but fortunately, its legacy appears to live on in macOS 11.0.
27
Intel Honesty
The best way to both save Intel and have leading edge manufacturing in the U.S. is to split the company, and for the U.S. government to pick up the bill via purchase guarantees.
28
Nvidia's Risky Business
Nvidia is finding new ways for its customers to raise money, and it’s expanding the risk of the AI buildout significantly.
29
The TikTok War
How TikTok exposed Facebook’s blindspot, thanks to its Chinese roots, and why those Chinese roots make TikTok a genuine concern.
30
Tim Cook's Impeccable Timing
Tim Cook had an extraordinary run — and impeccable timing, both in terms of when he became CEO, and when he is stepping down.