Episode 138 — A Moat Too Far

Episode 138 — A Moat Too Far

Author: Ben Thompson / James Allworth January 27, 2018 Duration: 1:03:59
Ben and James discuss Amazon Go and what it says about the economics of tech and how Amazon is building multiple monopolies. Presented by WordPress.com: Get 15% off on a new site by visiting WordPress.com/Exponent. Links Ben Thompson: Amazon Go and the Future — Stratechery Ben Thompson: The Amazon Tax — Stratechery Hosts Ben Thompson, @benthompson, Stratechery James Allworth, @jamesallworth, Harvard Business Review Podcast Information Feed iTunes SoundCloud Twitter Feedback Presented by WordPress.com

Hosted by Ben Thompson and James Allworth, Exponent is a conversation that digs into the deeper currents shaping our world. The discussion moves beyond mere gadget reviews or Silicon Valley hype, focusing instead on how technology fundamentally reshapes business models, industries, and the very fabric of society. Thompson, known for his Stratechery blog on tech business strategy, and Allworth, a writer and co-author of "How Will You Measure Your Life," bring distinct but complementary perspectives. Each episode feels like a thoughtful dialogue, where ideas are examined from multiple angles. You’ll hear them analyze how a single platform can upend entire sectors, or debate the societal trade-offs that come with rapid innovation. This podcast is for anyone who wants to understand not just what is happening in tech, but why it matters. The conversations are detailed and often forward-looking, connecting strategic insights with their broader human implications. Listening feels like being a fly on the wall for a compelling weekly discussion between two sharp observers, making sense of the complex forces driven by technology.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Exponent
Podcast Episodes
Episode 167 — YouTube and the End of Friction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:58
Ben and James discuss the question of YouTube, why it’s similar and different from Facebook, and why engagement is both alluring and a potential problem. Links YouTube Executives Ignored Warnings, Letting Toxic Videos Ru…
Episode 166 — Fence-building vs. Axe-wielding [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:45
Ben and James discuss Senator Warren’s proposal to break up Big Tech, including why its history is wrong, why details matter, and what needs to be done instead. Plus, Spotify’s antitrust complaint against Apple. Links Se…
Episode 165 — Mark Zuckerberg’s Projected Self [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:16
Ben and James discuss Mark Zuckerberg’s latest missive, whether Facebook is actually changing anything, and wonder if the company will ever tell the unvarnished truth. Links Mark Zuckerberg: A Privacy-Focused Vision for…
Episode 164 — Valuing Value Chains [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:04
Ben and James discuss Amazon, Walmart, and groceries, Google Cloud versus AWS, and why understanding value chains helps evaluate business opportunities. Links Ben Thompson: The Value Chain Constraint — Stratechery Ben Th…
Exponent 163 — Publishers vs Apple News [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:03
Ben and James discuss Apple News as it is today, where Apple wants to take it in the future, and why publishers should push back. Links Ben Thompson: The Cost of Apple News — Stratechery Ben Thompson: What Direct-to-Cons…
Exponent 162 — Why Exponent Isn’t on Spotify [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:22
Ben and James discuss Spotify’s move into podcasts and integration and modularity in value chains. Links Ben Thompson: Spotify’s Podcast Aggregation Play — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Lessons From Spotify — Stratechery Ben…
Episode 161 — Vigilante Justice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:06
Ben and James discuss Apple vs Facebook (and Google!). Links Josh Constine: Facebook Pays Teens to Install VPN That Spies on Them — TechCrunch Facebook’s Onavo Gives Social-Media Firm Inside Peek at Rivals’ Users — Wall…
Episode 160 — Zeros All the Way Down [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:00
Ben and James discuss Netflix, why it is an Aggregator, and why Disney isn’t actually a competitor Links Ben Thompson: Netflix Flexes — Stratechery Ben Thompson: Netflix and the Conservation of Attractive Profits — Strat…
Episode 159 — Inverted Pyramids [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:47
Ben and James discuss open source in a cloud world, how enterprise value chains have changed, and AWS versus Microsoft. Links Ben Thompson: AWS, MongoDB, and the Economic Realities of Open Source — Stratechery Ben Thomps…
Episode 158 — A Significant Shift [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:34
Ben and James discuss Apple’s revenue warning and the company’s shift to services. Links Ben Thompson: Apple’s Errors — Stratechery Letter from Tim Cook to Apple Investors — Apple Ben Thompson: Two Bears — Stratechery Be…