2025.13: YouTubeTV and Big Tech Realities

Here were a few of our favorites from Stratechery Plus this week.

1. Opportunities and Constraints for Google. Monday’s Stratechery Article focused on multiple dimensions of Google’s strategy, but the lessons apply to big tech in general. On one hand, there’s a tremendous opportunity for Google to make YouTubeTV an aggregator of various streaming platforms, and structurally speaking, YouTubeTV should probably be the entry point for mass television audiences of the future. On the other hand, Google’s attempts to capitalize on that opportunity have been feckless so far, and the apparent complacency is a reminder of cultural challenges that tend to constrain new products at big companies. That helps explain why it makes sense for Google to spend billions on a startup like Wiz. — Andrew Sharp
   
   
2. More Fun with ChatGPT. OpenAI and ChatGPT’s most recent viral moment, “Images in ChatGPT”, was absolutely delightful. Wednesday’s Daily Update captures that spirit well, and in addition to introducing the world to Ben’s cat, the post also highlights OpenAI’s ability to not only push new technologies but to productize them such that they resonate with consumers. Google, by contrast, is nailing the technology but struggling with products. Ben and John explored the same questions on Dithering. — Daman Rangoola
   
   
3. What an Apple Car Could Have Been. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what Apple was hoping to accomplish with the ill-fated and now-shuttered “Project Titan,” this week’s Asianometry video provides a look at how Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi took its software chops to the EV space and created a giant seemingly overnight. The full, 39-minute video is also available as a podcast here, and aside from providing context for Apple’s missed opportunity, Xiaomi’s story is a great entry point for anyone who’s curious about the explosion of Chinese EVs that has reshaped the automotive trade all over the world. — AS

Stratechery Articles and Updates

• An Interview with Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy About Data and AI — An interview with Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy about taking over Snowflake, focusing on product, and competing in AI.
• OpenAI’s New Image Model, Graphic Design and Google, More on Security — OpenAI’s new image generation capabilities feel like another AGI domino; then, yes, security is about more than encryption.
• The Trump Administration Group Chat, Signal: The Coke of Secure Messaging, Transparency Versus Security — The Trump administration’s Signal gaffe raises fascinating questions about secure messaging and the trade-off inherent in transparency.
• YouTube TV, Wiz, and Why Monopolies Buy Innovation — Google could aggregate TV, but it might not have the product capability; that’s a convoluted way of explaining why buying Wiz is a good idea.

Dithering with Ben Thompson and Daring Fireball’s John Gruber

• Signal and National Security
• Ghibli and Democracy

Asianometry with Jon Yu

• Xiaomi is Why Apple Should Have Made a Car

Sharp China with Andrew Sharp and Sinocism’s Bill Bishop

• Welcoming Foreign Enterprises; Ships are the New Chips; He Weidong and More PLA Rumors; Deep-Sea Cable Cutter

Greatest of All Talk with Andrew Sharp and WaPo’s Ben Golliver

• Cavs Angst and Bulls Optimism, Tautology Talk and Tres Leches Etymology, End the Play-In and Fix the Playoffs
• LeBron James Never Makes It Easy, The Bucks and Buyer’s Remorse, The Lakers and Their Fans Were Born on Third Base

Sharp Tech with Andrew Sharp and Ben Thompson

• Why Google Wants Wiz for $32 Billion, Xbox One and Bygone Streaming Hardware Dreams, Immortality and Daylight Saving Time
• The Delights of Images in GPT, The Future of Graphic Design, Signal and Multiple Dimensions of Security

The latest Sharp Tech video is about what Apple lost after Steve Jobs.