Small private apps may win where public sites struggle
Ben Thompson says cheap AI help makes it worth building software for one person or a small trusted group. He points to apps used by his team and at home. He contrasts that with the cost of keeping public sites safe and easy to find. The broader forecast is his view, not a study of the whole web.
What the source reports
In Stratechery, Ben Thompson argues that cheap AI help changes who can afford to build software. He cites small apps used by his team and in his home. They serve a person or a trusted group rather than a wide public. He sets those examples against the cost of public-site safety and of helping people find a site. The private apps are examples from his own life. His claim about the future of the public web is a forecast, not a study that compares results across sites. Read it as a strategy argument, not a measured outcome.
Original source
- Title
- The End of the Internet
- Author
- Ben Thompson
- Publication
- Stratechery
- Date
- Monday, October 26, 2026