Ben Thompson
FollowThe latest interviews, podcast appearances, and blog posts from Ben Thompson, updated daily.
2026.38: Doomforce
The best Stratechery content from the week of September 14, 2026, including the view from anywhere but San Francisco, the limited potential for a pacing deal, and the Salesforce zag.
An Interview with Joanna Stern About the iPhone Duo and AI for Normal People
An Interview with Joanna Stern About the iPhone Duo and AI for Normal…
Salesforce AI Force, Agents as UI, The Race to Headless
Salesforce is abandoning UI as a moat, which is a very smart move because it’s disappearing for everyone.
OpenAI Ads, Amazon Ads in ChatGPT, Walmart to Accept Apple Pay
ChatGPT ads are working, and solve Amazon’s biggest problem with chatbots. Then, Walmart finally gives in to Apple Pay, because fighting the status quo is hard.
Pacing the Frontier, AI’s Digital Limits, AI Commissars
Dario Amodei wants to pace the frontier; it’s an unrealistic proposal that seems mostly geared to political control of AI.
2026.37: Duo Threats
The best Stratechery content from the week of September 7, 2026, including the arrival of the Duo, AI that benefits humanity, and closing the book on a catastrophe.
The iPhone Duo, The Intelligent Personal Hub, Apple Watch Audio Intelligence
Apple once again demonstrated the power of integrating hardware and software, but it’s biggest AI blindspot might be its belief in the primacy of apps.
OpenAI Does Math, Reward-Hacking, Meta Launches Personal Agent
OpenAI solving one of the most famous math problems is extremely impressive, and of little impact to most people’s lives; Meta’s Muse agent launch has the potential to be the exact…
Write Things Down
Writing things down is powerful, for humans and for AI; what comes first, however, is what to write, why to do it, and actually getting things done.
2026.36: Friction and Feedback
The best Stratechery content from the week of August 31, 2026, including the market speaking, Apple finding religion, and society losing friction.