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People vs Algorithms

Troy Young, Brian Morrissey, Alex Schleifer

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. Get our newsletters: https://www.peoplevsalgorithms.com/ https://www.therebooting.com/

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29 episodes
weekly
Avg 1 hr 11 min
English

Episodes 29

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S4 · E185
May 22 · 58 min
Steroid Olympics
This week, we discuss the chaotic transition to an AI-augmented era, the roiling backlash trying to slow it down, and how we’ll come to terms with a weird new world. Plus: The dénouement of the scale era in publishing and beginning of the “inversion” era of media brands. * 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 Twitter Chapters: * 00:00 Open * 01:33 Welcome * 04:55 Graduation Speech AI Backlash * 05:46 Pope AI Encyclical Buzz * 07:40 Why People Distrust AI * 13:23 AI Book Quote Scandal * 15:16 Steroid Olympics for Creators * 19:23 Flood of Synthetic Content * 22:31 Human Only Platforms * 27:53 LLM Confidence and Hallucinations * 31:55 Breaking the AI Loop * 32:38 Google Ends Link Search * 36:39 Vox Deal and Glue Factory * 40:30 Inversion Strategy at People * 43:52 Monetizing Brands via SKUs * 46:04 Supernatural Comeback Economy * 48:44 Good Product * 57:52 Credits 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
S4 · E184
May 15 · 1 hr 10 min
Clauditis
Meanwhile, Anthropic is on a $50 billion run rate and raising at a $900b valuation. We look back to the dawn of the assembly line, when workers suffered from “Forditis," a condition of despair caused by a lack of agency and the pressure to keep up with a pace set by machines. Plus: learning from Ferrari, Ryan Cohen's use of the information space for his long-shot takeover bid for eBay, the decline of drinking as structural phenomenon, the end of the road for BuzzFeed, and Italian rock bands. * 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 Twitter Chapters: * 00:00 Open * 00:38 Welcome * 04:14 Ferrari Scarcity Mythology * 11:27 From Ferrari To Anthropic * 21:33 AI Backlash And Forditis * 27:19 Thinking Machines New Interface * 38:13 Narratives Beat Policy * 41:23 Ryan Cohen Media Populism * 48:01 BuzzFeed Byron Allen Deal * 58:37 Good Product * 01:09:08 Credits 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
S4 · E183
May 8 · 1 hr 2 min
Monkey Business
While some of this is cover for overhiring during the ZIRP era, there's clearly a move to cut the "coordination tax" that exists within companies. And what starts in tech always moves downstream. Plus: Ted Turner and the end of the media mogul archetype, James Murdoch's move to buy Vox Media's podcast network and New York magazine, and how to tell fake fakes from real fakes at the souk. * 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 Twitter Chapters: * 00:00 Open * 00:18 Welcome * 02:02 Brian in Marrakesh * 04:43 PVA Vibe-Coding: RingRing & Field Notes * 09:18 AI Is A Job Killer * 16:48 AI Native Orgs and Jevons * 26:34 Permanent Underclass Fears * 31:23 The Last of the Moguls * 35:32 Murdoch Buys Vox * 40:49 AI Private Equity * 42:24 GameStop Targets eBay * 48:14 Met Gala Tech Takeover * 50:33 Tech Villains * 52:40 Good Product * 01:01:39 Credits 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
S4 · E182
May 1 · 1 hr 5 min
The Clipping Economy
This week we dig into how the clip has become the unit of cultural currency and whether it's creating a mass delusion about what people actually want and what is popular. Also: a Waymo hostage situation, a vibe-coded group-texting platform, Apple vs. the interface doomers, Uber's super app survival play, Ben Sasse's deathbed honesty about young people's anxiety, and what the rise of Graham Platner says about the need to be a legible character. * 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 Twitter Chapters: * 00:00 Open * 01:05 Welcome * 04:31 Vibe Coding Field Notes * 07:55 Fan Feedback * 11:56 AI Power Games Trial * 20:51 Next Interface * 29:06 Can a New AI Phone Win * 33:28 Why Super Apps Fail * 38:10 Media’s Next Chapter * 41:43 AI Replacing Media Work * 44:51 Clipping And Fake Popularity * 51:20 Gen Z Nostalgia Anxiety * 54:23 Politics As Characters * 59:08 Good Product * 01:05:00 Credits 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
S4 · E181
April 24 · 1 hr 15 min
Spooning the Gravy
Troy’s vibe coding project has moved into high gear, as institutional and personal memory becomes the point of leverage with media’s ultimate goal shifting to how to get the right people in the saloon. Claude Design and GPT-Image 2 reinforce the same message: You’re either high-end craftsman or you’re orchestrating AI systems, like it or not. Plus: Tim Cook hands over the CEO reigns after Apple’s boring decade, why media is about artists, suits and engineers, the dismal fate of much of Vox’s publishing assets, the emptiness of cloned media assets and why there’s leverage in coming out of the kitchen to spoon the gravy, no matter how much you’ve accomplished. * 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 Twitter Chapters: * 00:00 Open * 00:52 Building on Top of LLMs * 03:41 Welcome * 04:31 Vibe Coding Costs * 09:00 Memory as Moat * 13:38 Wiki Maintenance Problem * 16:41 Workers Training Replacements * 18:13 McClatchy Content Scaling * 25:25 Community as Real Value * 32:43 Monitoring the Situation Review * 35:20 Are Designers Cooked * 37:58 Dotcom Agency Flashback * 40:19 AI Kills The Agency Model * 42:36 Displacement And Value Stack * 45:38 Farm To Table Humans * 47:13 Apple’s Boring Decade * 51:47 Nvidia Chips And China * 55:40 Event Format And Layers * 57:29 Vox Sale And Media M&A * 01:01:27 Media Notes And Widgets * 01:06:59 Collectibles As Asset Class * 01:09:12 Good Product * 01:14:43 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
S4 · E180
April 17 · 1 hr 6 min
Humans in the Loop
Troy unveils his vibe-coded media system that produces a daily briefing based on his entire media diet, underpinned with a memory layer that acts as a second brain of PvA thinking. This would turn media from a game of speed to one of accumulated worldview. We also unpack the rise of fakes, from the clip economy to Allbirds pivot to AI; handicap the Pope vs Trump battle; and get a report from an international journalism festival in Italy. * 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 Twitter Chapters: * 00:00 Open * 00:34 Welcome * 02:48 Troy The Vibe-Coder * 11:54 Takeaways Process And Limits * 17:52 AI Slop And Meme Warfare * 25:37 Clips Economy * 32:32 Allbirds AI Pivot * 37:37 Anthropic vs OpenAI Chart * 47:02 Journalism Hierarchy * 49:30 LinkedIn Is a Sad Place * 54:01 Vibe Coding and API Economy * 57:56 World Economy Summit * 59:48 Good Product * 01:05:34 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
S4 · E179
April 10 · 1 hr 13 min
The Great Media Reorientation
B2B is a refuge; see the Acquired ad rates. The Boston Globe's TikTok star Emily Sweeney proves a Dorchester accent is leverage when the internet has flattened everything. The next newsroom brawl will be over AI use. Political figures now have to be expert content creators. Even geopolitics aren't immune: Iran is beating the U.S. with its AI Lego video trolling. In tech, Sam Altman lies a lot and might be a sociopath, but it could be these are required traits in his field. Vibe coding Big Hot Take has turned Troy into an AImaxxer who believes company structure will change. Finally, a hypothesis that the true emblem of American wealth is getting a boat. * 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 Twitter Chapters: * 00:00 Open * 00:41 Welcome * 03:10 Media Business Reset * 07:05 B2B And Niche Wins * 10:30 Altman Narrative Wars * 13:18 CEO Archetypes Debate * 18:31 OpenAI IPO Reality * 20:58 Mythos Model Hype * 24:04 Building Hot Takes * 31:15 Vibe Coding Impacts * 36:48 Politics As Creators * 39:04 Trolling As Statecraft * 40:34 Boston Globe TikTok Accent * 44:13 Artists Versus Engineers * 46:43 Midas Touch Deal Breakdown * 51:27 Copycat Creator Acquisitions * 56:23 NYT Reporting And AI Newsrooms * 01:02:23 Clipping Economy Explained * 01:07:42 Boats As Status Symbol * 01:10:48 Good Product * 01:12:57 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
S4 · E178
April 3 · 1 hr 18 min
New Media Energy
Troy and Brian react to OpenAI buying TBPN: It pays to have viewpoints and approaches that are preferred by the powerful. FeedMe's Emily Sundberg joins as a guest this week. We discuss why new media like TBPN is beating legacy media not by distribution hacks or aesthetics but in energy. Legacy media relies on structural energy that’s dissipated while new media is built on earned energy, which is more organic, relatable and even fun. Plus: Puck vs Vanity Fair, Troy's vibe coding addiction, and why venture capital isn't cool. * 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 Twitter Chapters: * 00:00 Open * 00:28 OpenAI Buys TBPN * 08:13 Welcome * 10:11 Vibe Code Corner: PVA Hot Take * 17:17 Agents and Future Org Charts * 22:08 Emily Vibe Coded Side Apps * 25:18 Future of Media Trends * 33:11 Feed Me Business Overview * 37:39 Events Merch and Energy Thesis * 43:32 Scaling Feed Me carefully * 47:34 Why TBPN works * 53:01 Defining new media * 56:43 Vanity Fair vs Puck * 01:01:20 Aspirational media and detachment * 01:06:15 Events business reality * 01:09:37 Cool or Not Cool Corner * 01:15:05 Good Product * 01:17:25 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
S4 · E177
March 27 · 1 hr 6 min
The War on Slop
OpenAI is pivoting to the enterprise, Kentucky farmers are modern folk heroes by not selling their land for a datacenter, and Meta and YouTube get the Big Tobacco treatment. Plus: Troy gives a progress report on his vibe coded Personal Intelligence Media Platform, AB’s take on Vox Media’s podcast business and MarketBeat’s profitable fin-pub hustle, and Wired’s reinvention as a Big Tech critic. * 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 Twitter Chapters: * 00:00 Open * 00:44 Reptile Rescue * 03:08 Welcome * 04:39 PVA Mixer * 06:17 PageMaker nostalgia * 09:12 Building PIMP * 20:52 AI slop and media value * 33:21 UI Design on Trial * 36:47 Tucker vs The Economist * 38:29 Vox Podcast Sale * 45:11 LinkedIn and Social CRM * 47:26 Wired Subscriptions and Tech Scrutiny * 49:53 Atlantic Cruise Events * 51:52 Zombie Franchises and Propaganda Ads * 55:02 Reality TV Loses to UGC * 57:15 MarketBeat Subscription Arbitrage * 01:03:28 Good Product * 01:06:07 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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