I disagree with Ben Thompson about the business model impact on Apple and Google. Specifically this line from Apple’s report on government requests:
Unlike many other companies dealing with requests for customer data from government agencies, Apple’s main business is not about collecting information. As a result, the vast majority of the requests we receive from law enforcement seek information about lost or stolen devices, and are logged as device requests.
We have no interest in amassing personal information about our customers. We protect personal conversations by providing end-to-end encryption over iMessage and FaceTime. We do not store location data, Maps searches, or Siri requests in any identifiable form.
To which Ben said:
Many were quick to praise Apple for this very fact, but let’s be clear: there is nothing here worth praising. It’s an artifact of their business model.
Just like company culture, a business model has a large impact on a company. Some build out specific cultures and models, others inherit them through lack of action. Praising it might be too much, but so is completely dismissing it.
I certainly wouldn’t excuse the actions of patent trolls as just an artifact of their business model.