The short version

Ben Thompson predicted on January 22, 2020: “In other words, today’s cloud and mobile companies — Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Google — may very well be the GM, Ford, and Chrysler of the 21st century.” Verdict: Called it. Thompson's 'End of the Beginning' thesis: cloud + mobile are the substrate, no platform shift coming. Five years on, the FAANGs only…

Prediction by

Ben Thompson

On January 22, 2020

“In other words, today’s cloud and mobile companies — Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Google — may very well be the GM, Ford, and Chrysler of the 21st century.”

Follow-up

Thompson's 'End of the Beginning' thesis: cloud + mobile are the substrate, no platform shift coming. Five years on, the FAANGs only consolidated power; AI emerged as a layer ON TOP of cloud (OpenAI/Anthropic on Azure/AWS), exactly as he framed it.

From the High Caliber AI network — see the AI for PR module in the course.