The assassination attempt on Donald Trump was a stress test for the Information Space, and a reminder of just how much the media has changed. You had mainstream news outlets jockeying with individuals holding forth with a collection of expertise, conspiracies, jokes, memes and partisan potshots. Some of it was informative, some of it was hilarious, some of it was infuriating, and much of it was… entertaining? We unpack yet another crazy plot twist and look forward to what it means as the media business girds for what looks very likely to be a return to power of Donald Trump and an ascendent political movement that’s to a large degree successfully vanquished the packaged news media.

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• 00:00 Introduction
• 02:50 Personal Media Consumption Experiences
• 04:13 The Evolution of Media and Information
• 08:08 Trump's Influence on Media and Politics
• 15:13 The Future of Media in a Polarized World
• 26:23 Trump's Media Mastery and Political Impact
• 38:34 Tech's Political Landscape
• 42:44 Big Tech vs. Small Tech
• 44:26 The Role of Media in Politics
• 49:55 The Rise of YouTube as a Podcast Platform
• 53:58 The Evolution of Digital Advertising
• 01:03:51 Good Product

The tidal wave of crap is a reality in the Information Space. This week, we discuss the rules of winning in the Information Space, including why it helps to get into fights, present as authoritative and authentic, and above all else to be willing to be shameless.

• Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter
• Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter
• Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities
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• 00:00 Introduction
• 03:00 Threads and Social Media Dynamics
• 06:16 The Rise of Authenticity
• 11:17 Traditional Media's Role
• 16:19 AI and Productivity
• 32:41 The Role of Hyperbole and Conspiracy Theories
• 34:20 The New Rules of the Information Space
• 42:53 The Importance of Podcasts in Modern Media
• 52:56 Good Product

In this July 4th episode, Alex, Brian and Troy chat about whether life will ever get back to 'normal,' Threads vs. X, gamer saints and AI dogs.

• Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter
• Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter
• Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities
• Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter

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• 00:00 Holiday Podcast Kickoff
• 00:59 Media Industry: Past, Present, and Future
• 02:55 The Canonized Gamer Boy
• 04:20 The Rise of Viral Fame
• 05:54 Threads vs. X: The Social Media Debate
• 07:41 The Future of Social Media
• 09:08 AI and Surveillance in Everyday Life
• 19:56 The Changing Landscape of War
• 22:16 FigmaCon and the Future of Design
• 24:42 Music Industry's Battle with AI
• 27:12 The Future of Publishing and Media
• 34:15 The Role of Legacy Media
• 38:05 Embracing Change in Media
• 40:31 Summertime Recommendations

Troy and Brian discuss the realist mood in Cannes, the key to good brand events, why hotels need a good playlist and Perplexity serving as an AI boogeyman.

• Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter
• Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter
• Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities
• Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter

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• 00:00 Introduction
• 04:17 Media Memberships and Loyalty
• 06:48 Hospitality and Technology
• 12:22 Events and Differentiation
• 14:55 Cannes Observations and Reflections
• 18:01 Media Industry Dynamics
• 27:15 Exploring with AI in Paris and London
• 32:30 The Rise of Perplexity and Content Theft
• 36:33 Publishers vs. AI Crawlers
• 41:27 The Future of Media and Distribution
• 46:24 Good Product

Apple has entered the AI fray with a compelling view of using it to remove friction that gets in the way of people want to get things done. The issue arises for those who create that friction by serving as intermediaries.

• Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter
• Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter
• Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities
• Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter

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• 00:39 Introduction to People vs. Algorithms
• 04:23 Apple's WWDC Highlights
• 10:29 Privacy and Trust in Tech
• 27:30 Microsoft's Rewind Feature Controversy
• 33:33 The Enduring Relevance of the Phone
• 38:45 Advertising Trends and Challenges
• 48:11 The War on the Inbox
• 53:57 Sleep and Technology

Technology acts as a compressor. AI is the latest pressure point. This week, we look at compression in software development, marketing and publishing. We then go into the difficult challenge of change management at the Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

• Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter
• Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter
• Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities
• Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter

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• 00:53 Mailbag
• 02:41 The Decline of Blockbuster and Rise of Netflix
• 05:14 The Future of Software and AI's Impact
• 10:29 AI in Marketing and Customer Support
• 28:26 Navigating Change in Media Organizations
• 32:05 Digital Transformation in Media
• 35:34 The Decline of Traditional Newspapers
• 38:09 Strategies for Media Reinvention
• 47:36 The Role of Unions in Media
• 49:57 Good Product
• 56:52 Closing Remarks

In this episode Brian, Troy, and Alex talk about AI hallucinations, and how they mirror human misperceptions. Troy believes the open web and traditional media will still hold value, while Alex thinks AI and platforms like Google and social media will take over. They also touch on the future of ad-supported AI services and SEO, Vivek Ramaswamy’s anti-BuzzFeed campaign and a genius idea about electing presidents.

• Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter
• Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter
• Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities
• Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter

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• 00:00 Spicy Takes
• 00:54 AI Hallucinations: The Human Aspect
• 01:49 The Future of AI and Media
• 02:44 Debate: Is the Web Dead?
• 04:45 The Role of Media Brands in the AI Era
• 12:17 Advertising and AI: A New Economy
• 14:29 The Impact of AI on Content Discovery
• 20:30 Legal and Ethical Considerations
• 22:57 The Future of Media and AI Integration
• 27:46 Union Pressures and Performance Reviews
• 30:02 The Future of Media and Open Web
• 34:46 Buzzfeed and Media Outsiders
• 41:26 The Role of AI in Leadership
• 44:46 Good Product
• 49:29 Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

What do tech and media look like in five years? Plus: Sam Altman as slippery character and AI comes to search and devices.

• Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter
• Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter
• Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities
• Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter

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• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:28 Sam Altman and Scarlett Johansson Controversy
• 06:43 Microsoft's AI Integration in Hardware
• 13:39 Google AI and the Future of Search
• 20:32 Speculations on AI's Long-Term Effects
• 33:21 Five Years into the Future: A Thought Exercise
• 40:39 AI Redefines Hardware
• 44:50 Advertising in the AI Era
• 50:05 Media Consumption Trends
• 57:36 Good Product
• 01:03:53 Podcast Reflections