Google I/O; “Near Me”, Competition, and Innovation; Pixel and Fitbit – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

This year’s Google I/O built on last year’s focus in a way that lends credence to Google’s longer-term goals. Plus, Pixel hardware and the problem of design by regulation.

Reading the Stratechery Update or listening to Stratechery Podcast episodes requires a Stratechery subscription.

If you already have a subscription, sign in.

The Stratechery Update consists of substantial analysis of the news of the day delivered via two weekly emails, including free bi-weekly Stratechery Articles, plus regular extra editions for follow-up, feedback, and interviews.

Stratechery Update subscribers include executives and employees from the largest tech companies to the hottest startups, venture capitalists, investors, government representatives and regulators, and many more people from 85+ countries who want to understand tech and its impact on society.

You can also receive Stratechery Updates, including free Articles, via podcast. It’s the exact same content, but for your ears.

These updates are always timely, but also timeless in their investigation of “Why” and “What’s next.” To see a list of recent topics covered in the Stratechery Update, click here. If you love Stratechery’s Articles, you’ll love the Stratechery Update.

Stratechery Updates are also available via SMS, RSS, or on this site. Please see the Stratechery Update Schedule for more details about delivery times and planned days-off. Please note that all subscriptions auto-renew monthly/annually (but can be cancelled at any time). If you are interested in ordering and managing multiple subscriptions for your team or company, please fill in the form here.

Update June 1, 2021: Self-serve group memberships are coming soon to Passport; subscribe to Passport Updates to be notified when this feature is available.

I am happy to create an invoice to your specification for annual subscribers; however, it is simply not viable for me to offer this service to monthly subscribers. Therefore, if you need a custom invoice please subscribe or switch to an annual subscription and contact Stratechery.

June 1, 2021 Update: We are hoping to add native support for custom invoices to Passport; you can subscribe to Passport Updates to be notified when it is available.