2025.19: Platforms and Their Privileges
The best Stratechery content from the week of May 5, 2025, including Apple as an object in platform dominance, a podcast for everyone but Celtics fans, and a word about trade and data.
Welcome back to This Week in Stratechery!
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On that note, here were a few of our favorites this week.
- Apple as an Object Lesson in Platform Dominance. Ben was writing about Apple and its App Store policies long before it was cool, so there’s no one better positioned to memorialize 15 years of handwringing and controversy now that Apple’s mountain of services revenue is at risk of crumbling. Tech mythologizes platforms and the importance of developers; the reality is that platforms have total control, absent government regulation. See also our discussion on Sharp Tech. — Andrew Sharp
- A Podcast for Everyone But Celtics Fans. It’s the best time of the year for basketball fans, and even as a grizzled NBA veteran, I’ve been blown away by how much fun the playoffs have been. There are new faces and old, and we’re getting upsets and instant classics on a near-nightly basis. On Thursday the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver and had a great time breaking it all down — including a pair of ghastly Boston Celtics collapses — ahead of a big weekend across the league. — AS
- A Word About Trade and (Less) Data. Sharp China was created with the vague concept that China was both important and under-covered, which ended up being quite the understatement: Andrew and Bill’s weekly coverage of the trade war is a must-listen for everyone, both in tech and beyond. This week they cover the latest developments, including talks in Switzerland, while managing expectations for any sort of short-term resolution. More generally, one of the reasons Sharp China is essential is because hard data is increasingly sparse; Bill’s point that this hurts China as well was a fascinating one. — Ben Thompson
Stratechery Articles and Updates
- Platform Power Is Underrated — Platforms are so powerful that Apple’s latest court loss won’t change the course of the iPhone; that’s why it’s worth it.
- Meta Earnings, Meta’s Deteriorating Ad Metrics, CapEx Meta — Meta’s earnings were received positively by investors, but there were definite causes for concern.
- Microsoft Earnings, Microsoft’s Core Capability, Amazon Earnings — Microsoft and Amazon are approaching AI differently, in ways that reflect their core capabilities.
- An Interview with SAP CEO Christian Klein About Enterprise AI — An interview with SAP CEO Christian Klein about why one of the oldest software companies of all is well-placed to win with the newest technologies.
Dithering with Ben Thompson and Daring Fireball’s John Gruber
Asianometry with Jon Yu
Sharp China with Andrew Sharp and Sinocism’s Bill Bishop
Greatest of All Talk with Andrew Sharp and WaPo’s Ben Golliver
- A Reminder from the Mayor of Houston, Is It Time to Take the Pacers Seriously?, Year 1 in the New Clippers Era
- The Celtics Collapse and Head to New York 0-2, Mayhem Everywhere Else, A Massive Weekend in Denver
Sharp Tech with Andrew Sharp and Ben Thompson
- What’s Next for Apple and the App Store, The Risks of Continuing This Fight, More on Meta and Its AI Vision
- Apple and the Power of Platforms, AI Comes for Google Search, ChatGPT Comes for Higher Education
This week’s Asianometry video is on the incredible Femtosecond Laser.
