We're sunsetting PodQuest on 2025-07-28. Thank you for your support!
Export Podcast Subscriptions
cover of episode #40 Ben Thompson: Thriving in a Digital World

#40 Ben Thompson: Thriving in a Digital World

2018/9/5
logo of podcast The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish
AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
People
B
Ben Thompson
创立并运营订阅式新闻稿《Stratechery》，专注于技术行业的商业和策略分析。
Topics
Ben Thompson：Stratechery 的名字选择是出于无奈，当时网站域名和 Twitter 账号可用，且与他的方向大致相符。他认为名字不够清晰易记，如果重新选择会考虑更易于发音和拼写的名字。Stratechery 的核心内容是科技的战略和商业，及其对社会的影响，也是他个人的知识积累和对世界的理解的记录，以科技为视角出发。他选择读商学院是为了在美国就业市场获得认可，并从中受益匪浅。他一开始就计划推出付费订阅内容，并希望付费是一种积极的体验，而不是被迫的。他最初用来衡量网站受欢迎程度的指标是，在他不发布文章的日子里，访问主页的人数。他主要关注每日订阅用户数量的增长，以此衡量业务健康状况。他不提供免费试用，因为已经提供了大量的免费内容，并且付费会促使用户养成阅读习惯。他认为他人抄袭他的付费内容是不可避免的，并将其视为影响力的一种体现。他的一天通常从处理家务和行政事务开始，然后进行研究和写作。他每天早上会浏览新闻标题，并构思当天的写作内容。他通常在下午开始写作，目标是在晚上 7 点之前发布文章。他写作过程中最大的挑战是如何避免确认偏差，确保观点的准确性。他经常承认自己的错误，并分析错误的原因。他主要阅读原始新闻来源，并通过阅读其他分析文章来完善自己的观点。他强调细节的重要性，认为准确的细节才能确保分析的准确性和说服力。他利用 Workflowy 来整理收集到的信息，并依赖搜索功能来查找所需内容。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Ben Thompson discusses his journey from a tech enthusiast in a small town to a renowned tech blogger, highlighting how his personal experiences and systematic thinking shaped his unique perspective on technology and business.

Shownotes Transcript

Today’s guest is Stratechery author and founder Ben Thompson. If you’re an investor in Silicon Valley, work at a tech start-up, or just love to geek out on technology and business analysis, odds are good that Stratechery is on your short list of must-read blogs.

What started as a side project, quickly ballooned into one of the most influential tech blogs on the web. The New York Times called Stratechery, “one of the most interesting sources of analysis on any subject.”

I agree.

In this interview, Ben and I cover a lot of ground. Here are a few of the things we discuss:

Learn once and for all how to pronounce Stratechery. :) How Ben’s business model was developed and how he massaged it over the years to become what it is today The one metric Ben looks at each day to gauge the health of his business How Ben deals with people who rip off his work and pass it off as their own Ben’s thoughts on pricing, free trials, content and other important aspects of online membership sites How Ben structures his day to churn out such incredible content so consistently How Ben handles being wrong on his site, and his process for screening his work for confirmation bias How the internet has changed the traditional view of supply and demand, and what companies should do about it What Ben would teach an MBA class about internet strategy (if you do any business online, you need to hear this) What it would take for a start-up to overtake Google or Apple, and the vulnerabilities that all companies share, no matter how big or profitable The new era of technology and how companies like Netflix, Airbnb, and Amazon are doing it right (and what you can do in your own business to take full advantage)

This is one of the most jam-packed interviews I’ve done on the Knowledge Project. Ben’s answers are so thoughtful and informative that you’re going to want to have a notebook handy.

 

Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, searchable transcripts, member-only episodes, and more. Sign up at: https://fs.blog/membership/)

 

Every Sunday our newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/)

 

Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish)