Stratechery provides analysis of the strategy and business side of technology and media, and the impact of technology on society. Weekly Articles are free, while three Daily Updates a week are for subscribers only.
Recommended by The New York Times as “one of the most interesting sources of analysis on any subject”, Stratechery has subscribers from over 85 different countries, including executives in both technology and industries impacted by technology, venture capitalists and investors, and thousands of other people interested in understanding how and why the Internet is changing everything.
Stratechery is written by me, Ben Thompson. I am based in Taipei, Taiwan, and am fully supported by my work at Stratechery.
I’ve worked previously at Apple, Microsoft, and Automattic, where I focused on strategy, developer relations, and marketing for Apple University, Windows, and WordPress.com. I attended undergrad at the University of Wisconsin, received an MBA from Kellogg School of Management with a focus on strategy and marketing, and an MEM from McCormick Engineering school in Design and Innovation with a focus on human-centered design.
I have been writing Stratechery since 2013, and it has been my full-time job since 2014.
I occasionally agree to speaking engagements for both public and private events, but not for companies I cover on Stratechery. Compensation will vary based on the nature of the customer and event, as well as the topic. I do not do any consulting at this time.
Ideal topics are in-line with the topics covered here on Stratechery, although tailored topics can be negotiated.
Please contact me to learn more.
My goal is to be a truly independent analyst, a commitment that is about more than just not having an employer. To wit:
In addition, I have written extensively about Apple and Microsoft, where I have previously worked, but that experience has no impact on my opinions (beyond the obvious insights gained), and I rely solely on public information unless explicitly stated. In addition, as of 2016, I do not take consulting or speaking arrangements with companies I cover (before that date I spoke at Google once, and did one-off consulting projects with Atlassian, Okta, and Dropbox; in all cases the fees I charged were a very small percentage of my overall income, and I disclosed my activity the next time I wrote about the relevant companies). Stratechery subscriptions are the vast majority of my income; this is purposeful on my part as I want my incentives to be aligned with my readers’.
I take my personal integrity and the integrity of this site very seriously. While I will make (and have made) mistakes, I will always strive to correct them quickly and publicly, and take active steps to ensure I don’t make similar mistakes in the future. On the flip side, I do not tolerate accusations of speaking or writing at the behest of any company (this is the primary reason I — very rarely — block people on Twitter).
If you have any concerns or questions about this ethics policy please contact me.