Ben Thompson

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Ben Thompson

Ben Thompson

@benthompson

Author/Founder of @stratechery. Host of @ditheringfm @sharptechpod. @notechben for sports. @monkbent on other networks. Home on the Internet.

Wisconsin, USA Katılım Aralık 2006
1.6K Takip Edilen269.8K Takipçiler
Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson@benthompson·
One clarification: I don’t know if United didn’t renew the contract. That’s what a flight attendant said (and Panasonic is the provider on wide bodies which are where all the issues are). Also I’m a 10 year 1K so I don’t suggest I’ll be flying elsewhere lightly!
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Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson@benthompson·
I’ve been a big fan of what @united is doing in general, but from what I’ve heard (via other passengers and flight attendants), it seems they didn’t renew their Panasonic contract for widebodies while Starlink is rolled out. I’m pumped about Starlink and will seek out United once I know it’s available (had it this week and it was awesome). Until then, however, no Internet, particular on transoceanic flights, is unacceptable and a very poor choice by United’s management. I’ll be flying someone else for those for now.
Sam Liccardo@sliccardo

I’ve just endured my third consecutive long-haul flight on @united with no WiFi. I’ve just decided to choose any other airline available, even if I have to connect to DC through New Zealand.

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JonNYC
JonNYC@xJonNYC·
On the rumor that it's something else, this is gospel: "This is 100% unequivocally false (that UA terminated it's Panasonic contract.) United’s contract with Panasonic remains in force and will on an indefinite basis, since there are many aircraft which won’t get Starlink and will stay with Panasonic until they are retired (A319/320 and some B763/752). That doesn’t mean that Panasonic’s performance hasn’t been bad (it has been awful) but it’s not a decision on United’s side and they are pushing very hard for PAC to fix the root causes of the poor performance."
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Benjamin Din
Benjamin Din@benjamindin·
@benthompson @united Not saying it doesn’t happen, since I know it’s a common grievance. Just mentioning my experience since if it does still work wouldn’t that apply the contract was not cancelled? (Genuinely asking too, not really familiar with how it all works!)
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Josh Woodward
Josh Woodward@joshwoodward·
Update: This is a bug. It will be fixed in the next release, aiming for right after Google IO. More info if you're interested: We ship this "helper app" (GeminiAppLauncher) to enable hotkeys so you can activate Gemini without the full app having to run all the time in the background. This helper app was never intended to ignore your explicit OS setting change. That is the bug that's being fixed. In the meantime, you can override this by turning off the "Open at Login" setting in the Gemini app settings - see the screenshot. One note: if you do this, it will turn off the background process that detects hotkeys, so global keyboard shortcuts won't work. Hope this helps, and sorry again for the frustration. A lot of us on the team, including me, love to read your stuff, and I hope you try Gemini again on your Mac.
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Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson@benthompson·
I'm actually struggling to remember a bigger middle finger to a user from an app...ever? It's bad enough to install a helper app. But to immediately undo the user's explicit setting change? Incredible.
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Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson@benthompson·
If you disable "Open at Login" for the GeminiAppLauncher" that the Gemini app installs in the background (without asking), GeminiAppLaunch will immediately re-enable "Open at Login". I will now, needless to say, delete the Gemini app, and don't intend to ever install it again.
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Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson@benthompson·
@CharlieRegnum Hmm, if the app discovers that this has been turned off on the OS level, I think it should change its own setting, but fair pushback
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Charlie Regnum
Charlie Regnum@CharlieRegnum·
@benthompson It’s in Gemini’s settings - Open at login. It’s doing what it’s supposed to do.
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Stratechery
Stratechery@stratechery·
5-14-2026 ($) An Interview with Ben Thompson at the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet & Communications Conference stratechery.com/2026/an-interv…
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