Ben and James discuss the concept of The Smiling Curve and how it applies to various industries. Then, where value might be found in self-driving cars, and why both Uber and Google are getting it wrong. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Aggregation Theory — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Publishers and the Smiling Curve — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Intel, Mobileye, and Smiling Curves — Stratechery Episode 012: The Internet Rainforest — Exponent “After SO many years of being lost, we finally have Aaliyah’s performance of ‘Try Again’ on Jay Leno. This is RARE as fuck.” — Twitter 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 Uber’s recent scandals, and debate whether the company’s business actions can be separated from its culture. Presented by MailChimp Links Susan Fowler Rigetti: Reflecting on One Very, Very Strange Year at Uber — SusanJFowler.com Ben Thompson: The Uber Conflation — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Crisis at Uber, Uber’s Culture, Who is Responsible? — Stratechery Daily Update Brad Stone: The Upstarts — Hachette Book Group Ben Thompson: Tech Morality — 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 Mark Zuckerberg’s manifesto, the problem with regulation, and why Facebook needs exactly that. Presented by MailChimp Links Mark Zuckerberg: Building Global Community — Facebook Ben Thompson: Manifestos and Monopolies — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Inspired Media — Stratechery James Allworth: Founders and Motivation — Stratechery The Ezra Klein Podcast: Tim Wu’s Interesting, Unusual, Fascinating Life — Panoply Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented by MailChimp

Ben and James compare Snap and Facebook to Apple and Microsoft, and worry that Snap’s business is misaligned. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Snap’s Apple Strategy — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Truth About Windows Versus the Mac — Stratechery Ben Thompson: What Clayton Christensen Got Wrong — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Audacity of Copying Well — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Aggregation Theory — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Snapchat Spectacles and the Future of Wearables — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Old-Fashioned Snapchat — Stratechery 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 what kind of politicians and products cut through in the Internet age, and why they are profoundly different than what worked before. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Inspired Media — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Voters Decide — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Friction — Stratechery James Allworth: The U.S. has Gone F&*%ing Mad — Medium Ben Thompson on How to Make It in the Media in 2016 — The Ezra Klein Show Journalism That Stands Apart — New York TimesTh 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 the history of messaging apps, the rise of Snapchat, and why Instagram Stories was such a brilliant move. NOTE: The original audio file had a problem at the 36:50 mark; if you encounter this, please delete the file from your podcast app and re-download. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: The Audacity of Copying Well — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Snapchat’s Ladder — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Facebook, Phones, and Phonebooks — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Snapchat User Growth Concerns, What Makes Snapchat Valuable? — Stratechery 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 why different types of media have responded to the Internet with varying degrees of success. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: The Great Unbundling — Stratechery Chris Dixon: How Bundling Benefits Sellers and Buyers — cdixon blog The Netflix Backlash: Why Hollywood Fears a Content Monopoly — Hollywood Reporter Ben Thompson: Netflix and the Conservation of Attractive Profits — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Jobs That TV Does — Stratechery James Allworth: The Blessing of Failure — Medium Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented by MailChimp

Ben and James celebrate two milestones: 10 years for the iPhone, and 100 episodes for Exponent. This is a good one: it in many respects summarizes the entire run of both Exponent and Stratechery. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: The Ten Year Anniversary of the Apple TV — Stratechery Ben Thompson: What Clayton Christensen Got Wrong — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Beyond Disruption — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Shameless Samsung — Stratechery Ben Thompson: How Apple Creates Leverage, and the Future of Apple Pay — Stratechery Ben Thompson: From Products to Platforms — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Friction — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Voters Decide — Stratechery Ben Thompson: TV Advertising’s Surprising Strength — And Inevitable Fall — Stratechery 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 Amazon Alexa and the history of operating systems Presented by MailChimp Links Is That an Echo? — Exponent Episode 070 Ben Thompson — The Amazon Tax We Have Always Been at War with Amazon — Exponent Episode 081 Ben Thompson: Alexa: Amazon’s Operating System — Stratechery Voice Recognition Technology — YouTube Ben Thompson: The Truth About Windows Versus the Mac — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Aggregation Theory — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Beyond Disruption — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Mobile Makes Facebook Just an App; That’s Great News — Stratechery James Allworth: The Blessing of Failure — Medium 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 real estate and Opendoor, and the types of startups that will succeed in the future. Presented by MailChimp Links Ben Thompson: Opendoor: A Startup Worth Emulating — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Zillow Acquires Trulia — Stratechery Daily Update Ben Thompson: Google Self-Driving Cars = Waymo — Stratechery Daily Update Ben Thompson: Google, Uber, and the Evolution of Transportation-As-A-Service — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Aggregation Theory — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Netflix and the Conservation of Attractive Profits — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The State of Technology at the End of 2016 — Stratechery Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented by MailChimp