2026.23: Power Shifts

Welcome back to This Week in Stratechery!

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On that note, here were a few of our favorites this week.

1. Google and Microsoft. Three years ago Google looked hapless, scrambling to respond to ChatGPT, while Microsoft, thanks to their groundbreaking partnership with OpenAI, looked on top of the world. Now Google is pulling away in terms of market capitalization, which makes their decision to issue equity to Berkshire Hathaway a curious one: I try to figure out what it means in The Google Capital Company. As for Microsoft, my first question to CEO Satya Nadella in this week’s Stratechery Interview was a simple one: is he happy with Microsoft’s competitive position? — Ben Thompson
   

1. YouTubers Take Over Hollywood. Over the past few weeks, the biggest news in the entertainment business has been the surprising success of two Gen Z YouTubers. They’ve directed the most successful movies in America and beaten (yet another) Star Wars spinoff at the box office. Monday’s Daily Update seizes on that news to explain how we got here and the various factors that explain the YouTubers’ success. We doubled back on the topic on this week’s Sharp Tech to explore not only the implications for Hollywood, but why YouTube, in response to this phenomenon, is unlikely to change a thing. — Andrew Sharp
   
   
2. A Guide to the NBA Finals. The Knicks took Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, and I have to say, this week’s Greatest of All Talk preview nailed the contours of exactly what we saw. If you’re looking for what to watch going forward, the intrigue of course starts with 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama. If he can win this title it’ll be the sort of flashpoint that we all remember for the next 50 years. But can he do it? My co-host Adam Mares explained why the Knicks are a tougher Wemby challenge than even the defending champion Thunder were, and that as great as he is, there are real limits in Wemby’s game that will be tested for the next 10 days. Let’s see how he responds. — AS

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Stratechery Articles and Updates

• YouTubers Win the Box Office, Goodbye Gatekeepers, The YouTube Bar — YouTubers are ruling the box office, and it shouldn’t be a surprise: succeeding on YouTube is a much higher bar than the gates that currently govern Hollywood.
• The Google Capital Company — Google has issued equity to Berkshire Hathaway in a deal that signals far more demand and a future where capital is the ultimate commodity.
• The Nvidia AI PC, Project Solara, Microsoft AI — The Nvidia AI PC feels like a relic of another AI era; Microsoft’s vision for devices at Build was much more compelling.
• An Interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella About Finding Core Competencies — An interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella about figuring out Microsoft’s role in AI, the relationship with OpenAI, Capex, Software, and a potential new agentic platform.

Sharp Text by Andrew Sharp

• Steph Curry Turns to China — Steph Curry’s move to partner with Chinese shoe brand Li-Ning is smart, lame, and ultimately a refreshing reminder of American strengths.

Dithering with Ben Thompson and Daring Fireball’s John Gruber

• Electric Cars and Meta Subs
• WWDC Questions

Asianometry with Jon Yu

• Taiwan’s DRAM Failure

Sharp China with Andrew Sharp and Sinocism’s Bill Bishop

• Seizing The Commanding Heights; Decoding Shangri-La Dialogue; Europe Moots Trade Policy; The PRC Expels a New York Times Journalist

Greatest of All Talk

• Five Questions on the NBA Finals, Wemby and NBA History, Q&A on the Kroenkes, OKC, and Team USA

Sharp Tech with Andrew Sharp and Ben Thompson

• What’s Google Doing With Berkshire Hathaway?, A Bubble Temperature Check, Gen Z YouTubers Take Hollywood

This week’s Stratechery video is on The SpaceX IPO and Data Centers in Space.