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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 fully supported by my work at Stratechery.

I’ve worked previously at Apple (interned), 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. After living in Taiwan for many years I relocated back to the United States in 2025.

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, and ranges from $400k to $1m. 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:

• I am not paid by any company for any opinion I post on Stratechery or in any public forum, including podcasts and Twitter.
• I do not hold individual stocks in any company I write about. I do hold various 401k and IRA accounts that invest in a wide-ranging basket of stocks, over which I have no control.
• I pay for all of my own travel and expenses when I attend company events.

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). Subscriptions are a significant portion of my income; this is purposeful on my part as I want my incentives to be aligned with my readers’. I do cover cryptocurrencies but only hold a minimal amount of Bitcoin and Ethereum for experimentation purposes.

Stratechery is, as of October 2026, presented by Stripe, and there I make no claims of objectivity. To the extent I analyze not just Stripe but the entire fintech space, I strive to give my honest opinion; my contract with Stripe contains total editorial independence. However, the reality of a conflict is inescapable, and I will disclose my relationship to Stripe in every post where this conflict may be relevant.

I take my personal integrity and the integrity of this site very seriously. While I will make 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.

You may view the Stratechery LLC Terms of Service here.

By continuing to access, link to, or use this website and/or newsletter, you accept the Stratechery LLC terms and conditions in full. If you disagree with the terms and conditions or any part of these terms and conditions, you must not use the website or newsletter.

You may view the Stratechery LLC Privacy Policy here.

By continuing to access, link to, or use this website and/or newsletter, you accept the Stratechery LLC privacy policy in full. If you disagree with the privacy policy, you must not use the website or newsletter.

To contact me, please email directly. I make every effort to respond to members, and all others as time allows. It may take me a few days. All media requests require at least 48 hours lead time, and I often decline. If your request is urgent, please feel free to send a follow-up email. You can follow me on Twitter.