Ben Thompson

Author/Founder of @stratechery. Host of @ditheringfm @sharptechpod. @notechben for sports. @monkbent on other networks. Home on the Internet.

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

So, I've launched a new podcast with @andrewsharp:

[Stratechery @stratechery]

6-16-2026 ($)

•Fox Buys Roku
•The Problem With Fox's Smart Strategy
•Streaming That Works

https://t.co/f65TxK1ZpZ

[Stratechery @stratechery]

Anthropic's Safety Superpower

Anthropic's belief in its own commitment to safety gives the company license to aggressively favor its business and even challenge the U.S. government.

https://t.co/4HKPlYc99i

[Stratechery @stratechery]

6-11-2026 ($)

An Interview with Ben Bajarin About Apple, AI, and Compute

https://t.co/ddRhSzU75A

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

@LucasPerlove @deanwball Maybe the apology was censored because we don’t have Title II-based net neutrality, which the same people told me would lead to the end of the Internet

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

You did concede the point in the post I replied to, which is why I replied to it. I do tend to think that affording people one disagrees with more grace at the time of disagreement is probably prudent. To that end, setting aside pedantic points about whatever the original tweet was referring to, I'm not at all shocked by Anthropic's decisions this week, because my analysis at the time was not based on some sort of personal animus or whatever was ascribed to me, but simply incentives and long-run trends. That analysis holds in terms of this decision. People's declarations and promises change, *especially* when they hold themselves to be moral actors. Suggesting that anyone pointing that out is faking their beliefs to make a point risks missing the more important point completely.

https://t.co/yb4htFQMUO

[Dean W. Ball @deanwball]

@benthompson @FifthRocket @Noahpinion fair enough. I think you are disrespectful in your characterization of Anthropic’s position.

[Stratechery @stratechery]

6-10-2026 ($)

•Fable 5
•Anthropic Alignment
•AI Tiers

https://t.co/hbSfNvAFl7

[Stratechery @stratechery]

The iPhone's Last Stand

Siri isn't state of the art, but as long as it works — and it appears it does — it's good enough for the consumer market.

https://t.co/dknYH00FEC

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

It's actually super important that the Siri demo was kind of slow, because it emphasized it was real. Would be even better if it were live, though.

[Stratechery @stratechery]

6-8-2026 ($)

•Google Buys Compute From SpaceX
•Broadcom’s Outlook
•Apple’s AI Politics

https://t.co/sXl7SYnl8E

[Stratechery @stratechery]

The Google Capital Company

Google has issued equity to Berkshire Hathaway in a deal that signals far more demand and a future where capital is the ultimate commodity.

https://t.co/IygVOphySV

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

@devahaz That totally makes sense actually

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

I’m gonna delete this thread because I think people complaining about airlines on Twitter are pretty lame, including myself!

That said, I think the takeaway is that the reason I was upset is precisely because of dashed expectations. If this were American I would have shrugged my shoulders. So I guess that’s a compliment to United, but also a reminder that it’s risky to advertise things (like Starlink) when you can’t yet confidently deliver on them.

Anyhow, 28B on Southwest. Let’s go! 😅

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

@devahaz 💯

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

@julestein8 Yeah, I get it, but in this case I knew the destination airport had designated a takeoff time 35 minutes after scheduled departure

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

@suitedconnect It was an hour and 40 minutes

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

I don’t need vouchers or miles. The reason to have status is for when bad things happen, and the ball was dropped in several ways:

- United texted that the plane was boarding when in fact it was not. The flight then continued to show “on time” and “boarding” until it finally started boarding 45 minutes after scheduled departure time.
- Because the status was never updated, the 1K desk would not put me on the next flight; by the time the status updated the flight — which previously had open seats — was now full, so I was on Standby (and did not get on).
- I was booked on the flight after that, in economy, despite first class being open and having a first class ticket.
- At this point the sprint through the airport happened
- I booked an alternative flight on another carrier; the service desk said I would not get a refund, and if I appealed, it would only be for an economy seat

I get that bad things happen. However, I’ve been the exact kind of customer you want: I go to https://t.co/YOFWJ323JF to book and don’t look elsewhere. That’s what is going to change. I’ll still fly you a lot given your network fits my needs (although I’ll definitely be back on Eva for Pacific flights), but I’ve been 1K for customer service, not perks, and that just didn’t work out at all today. So I don’t think this conversation will be fruitful.

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

@jdlogistcs Wow!

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

@iTripReport I did that, obviously. There were a number of expectation fails today, including the initial flight not being registered as late until 45 minutes after it was, which significantly limits your options in the system.

[Ben Thompson @benthompson]

@poorrichard I think they’ve made it less accessible over time, actually. I’ve generally had a good experience. But these are the times when status actually matters and it didn’t come through.