Platformonomics TGIF is a weekly roll-up of links, comments on those links, and perhaps a little too much tugging on my favorite threads.
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Another intermittent summer issue. Fortunately some of our favorite sources of comedic inspiration are working much harder than Platformonomics this summer.
News
CAPEX Clues: AWS Quarterly CAPEX
I noticed after our summary of Q2 CAPEX that Amazon quietly started breaking out AWS-specific CAPEX on a quarterly basis. Here are the Q1 and Q2 comps with the other hyperCAPEX companies:
AWS was actually the runt of the hyperCAPEX litter in Q2.
GPT-5 Disappoints AGI Promoter
Ask Not What Elon Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For Elon
Thin-skinned fractional CEO Elon Musk obviously got an update on Grok distribution and usage, and isn’t happy. Apple, for one, is not doing enough to promote Elon’s product. That sounds like an “antitrust” issue to him. After some success suing companies for not advertising on Twitter, no doubt he’s looking to expand the “You Must Give Elon Money” doctrine.
(I’m a little surprised this was actually disqualifying).
Maybe Elon is checking the wrong App Store list? Perhaps Apple has a “Try These AI-Powered, Nazi-Friendly AIs” list where Grok tops the list? Or a “If you Like Benchmark Hacking, Try These AIs” list?
Previous:
Fractional CEO Adds to Responsibilities, Company Killed By Its Customers, Never Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Grok Enterprise Value Proposition Really Coming into Focus, Never Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: xAI MechaHitler Edition, Never Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Where to Even Start?, Never Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Chapter 150, Never Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Grok API Edition, Do Not Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Chapter 147, Do Not Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Chapter 148, Do Not Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Chapter 149, What is Elon’s Tesla Strategy?
The Data Center Boogeyman Still Cometh
Both sides of the political aisle will find blaming data centers preferable to acknowledging their own idiotic contributions to energy policy. Naturally the Luddites at the New York Times are all over this narrative. Big Tech needs to get in front of this. And not just with behind-the-meter power.
Not Available in Europe: A Tech Champion
It kinda makes sense the Superpower of Cheese thinks a food delivery company could be their tech champion. Not that they have a lot of options.
Previous:
Not Available in Europe: Air Conditioning, Not Available in Europe: Working Through the Not Available in Europe Backlog Edition, Not Available in Europe: WhatsApp Edition, Not Available in Europe: ChatGPT Memory Edition, Not Available in Europe: Bird Flies, Not Available in Europe: Open AI Deep Research, Not Available in Europe: A Bubbly Economy, Not Available in Europe: Better Late Than Never Apple Edition, Not Available in Europe: Apple’s Math, Not Available in Europe: This Week’s Edition, Not Available in Europe: Coming Soon to a Continent Near You, Not Available in Europe: Don’t Say You Weren’t Warned (by Meta), Not Available in Europe: A Tipping Point?, Not Available in Europe: Stratechery Edition, Not Available in Europe: Apple Edition, Not Available in Europe: Meta Edition
Not Available in Europe: Meta AI
This could be a principled stand or it could be that AI mulligan-taker Meta still doesn’t know what its strategy will be. Google did sign FWIW.
Not Available in Europe: Spinal Fortitude
