This week, we talk about Anthropic’s humanist branding, the fading idea of cool in a fractured culture, and why Gen Z’s nostalgia for the analog world might be the real rebellion. Plus: Anonymous Banker joins to break down why the math behind Paramount buying The Free Press for $150 million includes “free severance” as it will push out many CBS News workers.* Watch us on YouTube* Troy Young’s People vs Algorithms newsletter* Brian Morrissey’s The Rebooting newsletter* Alex Schleifer’s Human Computer* Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on TwitterChapters:* 00:00 Open* 00:29 Welcome* 00:58 Listener Feedback* 07:32 Milan Aesthetics* 11:46 Taste vs Slop* 21:51 Gen Z Nostalgia* 27:28 Claude’s “Brand Residency”* 29:23 Can AI be cool?* 36:45 The Free Press Deal* 48:21 Good Product* 52:25 Outro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.com
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53:17
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53:17
Alex Was Right
Sora 2’s selfie-movies, Meta’s Vibes, and OpenAI’s Pulse point to shorter, agentic, video-first habits—and a shrinking role for text. Even The New York Times is saying newsletters are too wordy and need more video.* Watch us on YouTube* Troy Young’s People vs Algorithms newsletter* Brian Morrissey’s The Rebooting newsletter* Alex Schleifer’s Human Computer* Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on TwitterChapters:* 00:00 Open* 00:21 Welcome* 03:09 Aux Bons Crus* 07:42 Gen Z & Find My* 09:18 Sora 2 & Vibes* 20:43 Pulse* 23:57 AI In Commerce* 30:46 NYT World Newsletter* 37:18 People Inc. Acquired FeedFeed* 39:40 New Creator Tools On YouTube* 46:07 CloudFlare Metadata Signals* 50:57 Good Product* 56:33 Outro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.com
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57:25
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57:25
A Good Racket
Plus: the evolving role of communications officers in the information wars, OpenAI’s new Pulse, Kimmel’s comeback, and the New York Times’ super app ambitions.* Watch us on YouTube* Troy Young’s People vs Algorithms newsletter* Brian Morrissey’s The Rebooting newsletter* Alex Schleifer’s Human Computer* Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on TwitterChapters:* 00:00 Open* 00:42 Gaming in Japan* 08:02 CCO Role In The Information Space* 13:48 Kimmel Comeback* 21:51 Good Racket* 41:00 New York Times’ Super App* 45:59 ChatGPT Pulse* 55:16 Good Product* 01:01:08 Outro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.com
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1:02:04
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1:02:04
Age of Extremes
This week: Trump’s war on the media expands and intensifies; AI doomers vs AI maximalists; and Anonymous Banker on what’s behind the Puck-Air Mail deal.* Watch us on YouTube* Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter* Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter* Alex Schleifer's Human Computer* Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on TwitterChapters:* 00:00 Open* 00:31 Welcome* 01:10 Trump's War On Media & Free Speech* 24:25 AI Doomerism* 36:00 Puck-Air Mail Deal With AB* 46:05 TBPN* 52:56 Good Product* 01:00:33 Outro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.com
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1:01:27
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1:01:27
The Media Singularity
We talk about how fandom now powers news, why comedians have turned into pundits, and how combat dynamics are incentivized by the feed. We also explore the blurring of media and politics, from Charlie Kirk’s rise as both activist and media brand to Sam Altman’s combative interview with Tucker Carlson. Along the way, we debate whether niche formats like link dumps and newsletters offer an antidote, and what happens to publishing economics as Google admits the open web is in decline.* Watch us on YouTube* Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter* Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter* Alex Schleifer's Human Computer* Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on TwitterChapters:* 00:00 Open* 00:46 Welcome* 02:43 Charlie Kirk Killing* 12:54 The Great Media Singularity* 30:25 Google Says Open Web Is Dying* 40:00 Publishers Getting Paid* 48:21 Apple Announcement* 55:48 Rupert Got What He Wanted* 58:15 Good Product* 01:00:03 Good Conversation* 01:02:43 Outro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.com
Uncovering patterns of change in media, culture, and technology, each week media veterans Brian Morrissey, Alex Schleifer and Troy Young break down stuff that matters.
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