Welcome back to This Week in Stratechery!
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On that note, here were a few of our favorites this week.
- A Vibe Coding Adventure. It is thrilling to be an analyst in the age of AI, particularly because the questions seem so weighty. Are software companies doomed? Will white collars work exist in a decade? Might chip policy lead to war in the Taiwan Strait? All valid! And, at the same time, fretting about the future can foreclose an appreciation at how incredibly awesome this technology is, and that the possibilities really are endless. You can do anything — even organize your garage. That might sound silly, but technology, for all of its importance, is also fun, and I’m having a blast. — Ben Thompson
- Apple in Europe (but not Siri AI). It was a footnote to Apple’s announcements at WWDC two weeks ago, but as expected, the now-fully-function Apple Intelligence products — aka Siri AI — will not be released in Europe because of the company’s ongoing battle with European regulators over the Digital Markets Act. On Dithering Tuesday, Ben and Gruber had a great 15-minute discussion about how maddening the situation continues to be, but I also appreciated the end of Ben’s Daily Update on Tuesday, which covered the same topic and explained why Apple’s own policies may well be what creates the long-term competitive changes the EU hopes to see. — Andrew Sharp
- A Midsummer Mailbag on Sharp Tech. Every time a major holiday approaches, we try to celebrate on Sharp Tech with an extended mailbag that, thanks to the listeners, tends to be a lot of fun. Ben and I did that again for this week’s episode, and in addition to thoughts on the future of the memory chip market and more of Ben’s experience with vibe coding, we hit questions on our daily caffeine intake, Sam Altman’s PR strategy, data centers in the ocean, and how to improve international soccer. Come for both substance and pre-vacation goofiness, and whether you’re traveling next week or not, happy 4th of July! — AS
Stratechery Articles and Updates
- Apple Price Increases, Apple Intelligence and the E.U. — Apple is (finally) raising prices, but they’re not shipping Siri AI to the E.U.
- Memory Chips and China, Microsoft and Chinese Models — The big three memory makers may come to regret opening up the door to Chinese memory makers; Microsoft, meanwhile, is very incentivized to use Chinese models.
- My Vibe Coding Adventure, The App and the Experience, Ten Takeaways — My experience and reflections on vibe coding an app that I plan on actually using regularly.
- An Interview with Figma CEO Dylan Field About Design and AI — An interview with Figma CEO Dylan Field about building Figma, and why he believes AI gives the company a tailwind.
Sharp Text by Andrew Sharp
- Hopes, Fears, and the Wizards — A window into Washington Wizards fandom during a very big week, after a very long decade.
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
Sharp Tech with Andrew Sharp and Ben Thompson
This week’s Stratechery video is on Anthropic’s Safety Superpower.