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Google, Nvidia, and OpenAI – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

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A common explanation as to why Star Wars was such a hit, and continues to resonate nearly half a century on from its release, is that it is a nearly perfect representation of the hero’s journey. You have Luke, bored on Tatooine, called to adventure by a mysterious message borne by R2-D2, that he initially refuses; a mentor in Obi-Wan Kenobi leads him across the threshold of leaving Tatooine and facing tests while finding new enemies and allies. He enters the cave — the Death Star — escapes after the ordeal of Obi-Wan’s death, and carries the battle station’s plans to the rebels while preparing for the road back to the Death Star. He trusts the force in his final test and returns transformed. And, when you zoom out to the entire original trilogy, it’s simply an expanded version of the story: this time, however, the ordeal is the entire second movie: the Empire Strikes Back. The heroes of the AI story over the last three years have been two companies: OpenAI and Nvidia. The first is a st

Google, Nvidia, and OpenAI – Stratechery by Ben Thompson Skip to content Google, Nvidia, and OpenAI Monday, December 1, 2025 Listen to Podcast Watch on YouTube Listen to this post : Log in to listen A common explanation as to why Star Wars was such a hit, and continues to resonate nearly half a century on from its release, is that it is a nearly perfect representation of the hero’s journey. You have Luke, bored on Tatooine, called to adventure by a mysterious message borne by R2-D2, that he initially refuses; a mentor in Obi-Wan Kenobi leads him across the threshold of leaving Tato

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