Thoughts on both X and xAI in the wake of Friday?s announcement from Elon Musk, Chat GPT?s image capabilities and whether AI-adjacent SaaS companies will ever have a moat, and emailers offer counterpoints on Sam Altman?s ads answer and the notion that Google can?t make great products anymore. At the end: Should Substack serve ads?, answers on Israeli cybersecurity, and more on Steve Jobs and Studio Ghibli.

Reactions to OpenAI's "Images in GPT," and thoughts on the Trump administration's Signal debacle, including a few points Ben neglected to emphasize earlier this week.

A look at the logic of Google's plans to purchase an Israeli cybersecurity firm for $32 billion, more tension between Apple, Google and the EU, and an email about Xbox One and Microsoft's checkered history of consumer tech ambitions. At the end: Moana 2 and what led to the decision to abandon windowing, Bryan Johnson's pursuit of immortality, and a few follow-ups on Daylight Saving Time.

After Ben's interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Andrew and Ben hold an impromptu symposium on AI and its implications, featuring questions from listeners. Topics include: The long-term UX for Deep Research, OpenAI's allergy to an ads-based business model, a confession from Ben after an Exponent take years ago, how AI might--or might not--change the White Collar economy, an era of startups capitalizing on AI-enabled cost structures, AI for companionship and adult content, and whether generative AI will slowly erode human cognition. At the end: A few follow-ups on Vision Pro, including proof of concept at a bluegrass concert.

Answering all your emails in the wake of Apple's intelligence catastrophe. Topics include: whether Perplexity should be an acquisition target, the limits of local AI, the value of long tail product development, Apple's parallels to IBM, the future of Tim Cook, and a report from Ben on his latest experience with the Vision Pro.

Revisiting Apple's nadir in the 1990s, along with internal friction that boiled over after Steve Jobs' passing, and explaining why Apple execs should?but probably won't?respond to the Apple Intelligence embarrassment by empowering third-party developers to build great AI products that run locally on the iPhone.

A question about the future of the NBA as the league sees record revenues and declining ratings, several emails about Apple's continued adventures in AI, and follow-ups to last week's episode on Formula 1, Amazon, chatbots as the AI UI, and tech that removes friction.

Surveying the streaming landscape in 2025, including YouTube?s opportunity to solve problems for millions of frustrated entertainment consumers, Peacock?s murky future, HBO and the Max mess, and lots more.

Andrew and Ben react to Amazon's announcement for an AI-powered Alexa that has been "100 percent re-architected," and then answer mailbag questions about OpenAI's long-term future, LLM confidence, LLMs and the future of the English language, how a hardware business like Manna should approach aggregators, and the social costs of tech that optimizes for efficiency and eliminates friction. At the end: A word about the most exciting app of 2025.

A discussion of Ben's Stratechery article AI Promises and Chip Precariousness, including basic geography and evolving geopolitical considerations informing today's Taiwan tensions, the recent history of US policy surrounding chips, considerations for US policies going forward, and various concerns with lifting the chip ban and implementing stricter controls on chipmaking equipment.

The history underlying Apple?s decision to pull its Advanced Data Protection feature from the UK market, criticisms of the UK, Apple and a few of Apple?s loudest critics, and thoughts on the future of drone delivery after Ben?s interview with Manna CEO Bobby Healy. At the end: font guidance and memecoins.

On today?s special crossover Sharp Tech/Sharp China episode, Ben Thompson and Bill Bishop discuss the private enterprise symposium and Xi Jinping's rapprochement with China's tech companies, and the connection between xAI and DeepSeek. Then, an extended debate on the chip ban, including its potential long-term consequences, and whether or not a course correction is possible. Finally, why the situation surround Taiwan is worrisome, and whether Trump is looking to make a deal.

Reactions to OpenAI's release of Deep Research, including the Deep Research contributions to Ben's Update on Tuesday, lessons from several other Deep Research experiments, and questions about the future of work, information flow, and a world in which days of work can be done in minutes.

Answering mailbag questions on a report that Apple has abandoned its plans for smart glasses, Google, OpenAI and advertising, why LLMs struggle with sports statistics, whether generative AI will become more acceptable in media, and a few thoughts on manufacturing, tariffs, and the de minimis exception.

Andrew and Ben reconvene to answer your emails on DeepSeek and its implications. Topics include: DeepSeek as the Oakland A?s and Big Tech as the Red Sox, questions about distillation, video game history and coding to the metal, waiting for Silicon Valley products in AI, the future of compute demand and power consumption, and a variety of follow-up thoughts to Monday?s export control discussion.

Unpacking several days of dizzying reactions to DeepSeek, including a closer look at the costs of model development, why the heightened scrutiny looks like a coping mechanism, DeepSeek?s efficiency breakthroughs, the implications for big tech, and the future of export controls on semiconductors.

On their 200th episode of the show(!), Ben and Andrew discuss the Stargate Project and what clarifies about the dynamics between OpenAI and Microsoft. Then: the risks inherent to Stargate investments, the rationale for the corporate structure announced this week, PhD-level agents in 2-3 years, and various lessons from the success of DeepSeek and its latest models.

Reactions to 48 hours of TikTok twists and turns, and what the weekend?s news might tell us about the next several years (or decades) in Washington and beyond. At the end: Facebook tries to market to TikTokers, a question about tech companies as governments unto themselves, and reviewing a tweet about LeBron James as an iPhone.

Looking to digital advertising history for clues about AI?s impact on the economy, proposed frameworks for AGI and ASI, and why AI benefits are likely to be unevenly distributed in the near term. Then: The logic and continued uncertainty surrounding a TikTok ban in the United States, the delights of Xiaohongshu mania, and a word about TikTok and conflicting principles.

Meta?s new approach to moderation questions, the context for an apparent shift to the right among tech leadership, and lessons from the last several years of moderation challenges and mistakes. At the end: Mark Zuckerberg offers his assessment of Apple in the modern era.

Ben and Andrew return from the holidays to check in on the AI landscape. Topics include: Aggregation Theory and the return of marginal costs for hyperscalers, the architecture of OpenAI?s o3 model, the murky future for software engineers and SaaS companies, and whether Scarlett Johansson fumbled the bag. At the end: In praise of learning to ski as a middle-aged beginner.

Ending the year with a slew of great emails from listeners, including questions about the next U.S. flagship to fail, Google's advantages in AI, an iOS 18 autopsy, the classes that Ben and Andrew would teach as professors, AI for chip production, TSMC mugs, recommendations for X usage, and the return of the TikTot segment to discuss tutoring and children. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the whole Sharp Tech family!

A high level read on Google's quantum computing announcement and Google's R&D efforts generally, a listener's question about drones as a platform, follow-up on last week's conversation about Anduril and the future of the U.S. defense industry, and questions on the near term concerns surrounding an AI Manhattan project, Clayton Christensen?s theory of integration and modularity as applied to Silicon Valley, and housing prices in the Bay Area.

Unpacking a quietly significant announcement from Anduril this week, the future of hardware and software in the U.S. defense industry, and checking in with OpenAI as the company announces a new subscription tier for ChatGPT.

First, a follow-up to Ben's article on Gen AI and the future of user interfaces, and then emails on architecture and structural incentives, Bob Noyce and American lithography, Blue Origin and Amazon, the role of capitalism in the declining birth rate around the world, and thoughts on 'X' and its Reels-ification in 2024.

A closer look at Intel's fall from grace in the wake of CEO Pat Gelsinger's sudden retirement and with the company facing a fresh round of questions about its future. Topics include: Ben's overview of a 20-year run of paradigm shifts and strategic missteps, Gelsinger's strengths and weaknesses, CHIPS Act funds and a looming inflection point, and the murky path forward for American made chips.

Returning from the holiday week with a look at the explosive growth of AppLovin, various takeaways from the towering success of OnlyFans, Bloomberg history, and questions on the future for Elon Musk and OpenAI.

Celebrating the holiday week with emails from subscribers. Topics include: integrating LLMs into the modern workflow, human reactions to AI content, Google and its disruption risks, a follow-up to last week?s trade discussion, advice for a young engineer working remotely, creating new reality shows, an unpaid shoe testimonial, family tech support, and more. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Talking through the evolution of the modern trade landscape, the implications of tariffs under a new U.S. administration, and Ben?s article on Monday, A Chance to Build. Topics include: the realities that are prompting change, China?s growth in hardware and software, TSMC and Trump, the future for Waymo, and more.

The Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight and what might have gone wrong for Netflix on Friday night, a resolution of the NBA's months-long contract dispute with Warner Bros. Discovery, and Ben explains what Passport can do for creators and shares a few takeaways from his experience building the product over the past few years.

An emailer wonders whether 30 years of Internet investments and data were the bootloader for an AI transformation in the real world. Ben offers his take on recent reports that OpenAI and Google are seeing diminishing returns from their latest LLMs, and the arrival of Ultrawide capabilities leads to refined takes on the Vision Pro and advice for Apple moving forward.

Looking to President Trump's first term for clues about what tech policy might look like for the next four years. Topics include: Apple's balancing act with the U.S. and China, why Meta and Google might have fared better under Kamala Harris, the implications for "Little Tech," an open question on M&A policies, unresolved tensions with EU regulators, TikTok, crypto policy, the case for growth, and thoughts on Elon Musk and the role that X played in the election.

An email comparing James Harden to a tech company spawns several other tech and basketball crossovers. Then: A brief history of the bandwidth buildout that made it possible for video to take over the internet, an email about generative AI and digital advertising, a listener cries for help over political donation solicitations, and Ben aborts an experiment with the Google Pixel.

Talking through Ben's piece on Meta and Abundance, including the past, present and future of Meta's value proposition to e-commerce advertisers, plans to incorporate AI-generated content into news feeds, and questions about augmented reality and the next phase of user interfaces. At the end: An emailer highlights potential downsides of the vision Meta is selling.

The open questions about competition in AI and enterprise software, emails regarding text-to-voice podcasts and replacing Andrew with an AI agent, and a question about Amazon and the proposed tariffs on consumer goods from China. Plus: Apple Intelligence, OpenAI's naming strategy, and the daily media intake for both hosts.

A closer look at the emergence of stablecoins, their utility in crypto and cross-border payments, progress in the crypto space that could lead to more widespread adoption, and the strategic logic of Stripe's plan to buy Bridge, a stablecoin platform, for a reported $1.1 billion. At the end: Updates on the Apple Vision Pro, and the secret behind the success of Jayden Daniels in Washington, D.C.

OpenAI's latest valuation and the value of the ChatGPT brand, the AGI clause in the OpenAI-Microsoft partnership, a follow-up on Waymo's data and the Bitter Lesson, a twist in the AI device form factor conversation, and a question about Orion and the importance of elite talent in big tech.

Understanding Tesla?s approach to an autonomous driving future, why some observers think Tesla is ahead of Waymo today, and questions about market structure and regulation concerns as the future of transportation takes shape. At the end: An additional note on politics as a zero sum game, and a few thoughts on the rest of the F1 season.

Explaining the SpaceX breakthrough over the weekend and why it mattered, an email about the next decade in tech, Tesla's 'We, Robot' event and the challenge of analyzing Elon Musk, a few more Waymo emails, and watches.

An injunction in the wake of the Epic v. Google case highlights the value of network effects in the app store market and the limits of antitrust law to restore competition, the DOJ proposes a break-up of Google that may run into similar problems in the search market, and Ben explains why Tesla's taking a different approach to autonomous driving than Waymo.

Ben's experience with Waymo and a question about AI automation implications, NotebookLM arrives and intrigues, follow-ups on the Orion conversation, and two notes on platforms and the future of media consumption.

A few follow-up questions on Meta's plans for the Orion glasses and the looming competition with Apple, surveying the past 12 months at OpenAI, a question about X and the decision to limit the distribution of a hacked JD Vance dossier, and a question about the future of media consumption in the wake of ESPN's decision to part ways with Zach Lowe.

An episode of reactions to Meta Connect 2024. Topics include: the lively atmosphere during Mark Zuckerberg?s keynote, Ben?s experience with the Orion AR glasses, the strengths and weaknesses of Apple and Meta in the race to create a platform for the future, Llama 3.2, Snap?s Spectacles, and more.

Answering listener questions on a tidal wave of sports gambling advertising, Sony?s strategy for the PlayStation Pro, robotics and the potentially destabilizing impact of AI, Apple?s latest ads, Microsoft?s LinkedIn purchase, and more.

Understanding the way LLMs have worked and why OpenAI's o1 model appears to be different, reactions to Microsoft's Copilot Pages and Marc Benioff's vision for agents, and why o1 and a generation of "reasoning models" could provide intriguing possibilities for AI investments across the enterprise space.

Questions about politics as America's most dominant pop culture franchise, recommendations for the EU, and more.

What Apple's iPhone event signals about priorities for the company, a digression on the App Store and its attendant risks, and thoughts on what Steve Jobs could and couldn't change about Apple in 2024.

Answering questions about Apple?s Woj, a cornucopia of iPhone options, founder mode, and more.

Tracing the history that led to the decline of Intel, why Ben is conflicted about the potential solutions to the company's woes, and a Third Circuit verdict on Section 230 that could upend three decades of precedent across the tech ecosystem.

The charges against Pavel Durov in France, the differences between encrypted messaging apps and Telegram, the philosophical questions underlying moderation scrutiny, and thoughts on Mark Zuckerberg's letter to the House Judiciary Committee this week.