People vs Algorithms

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

But physiotherapists still use accountants, dentists are in great shape and our own vibe coding experiments run into snags. Plus: The return of Travis Kalanick and the Mount Rushmore of tech titans, Google Stitch, who lost BuzzFeed, The Trade Desk’s woes, the Oscars as reflective of the end of the old Hollywood model, why The Economist is catnip for billionaires, and why mass layoffs and rapid rehiring are the new corporate norm.
* 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
* 00:57 Welcome
* 01:18 Who’s Cooked
* 04:28 First Principle Thinkers
* 15:02 PvA Claude Projects
* 27:11 Finest Act of Self Mythologizing
* 31:06 PvA Mount Rushmore Lineup
* 37:15 The Economist Deal
* 43:17 Buzzfeed End is Near
* 48:48 Trade Desk Failures
* 54:21 Oscars
* 01:03:05 Good Product
* 01:22:32 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

YouTube became a $550 billion juggernaut by building the infrastructure: the algorithm, the ad stack, the creator revenue share, the living room app. It spent more on content than almost anyone else without producing it. Meanwhile, legacy media companies that bet everything on premium content are pivoting to events, harvesting their websites for ad yield, and watching their audiences migrate to platforms they don't control. X tells the same story: a product that isn't even particularly good has become the most influential information network in the world because of the raw, unmediated network it sits on top of. On an individual level, those who can build personal systems are establishing leverage. The lesson: Power is durable power doesn't come from what you make, it comes from the system you build around it.
* 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
* 00:26 Cool Things
* 03:52 Welcome
* 11:44 AI Writing and Newsrooms
* 15:27 Epstein Grammar Power Flex
* 21:11 Wealth Shifts to Older Audiences
* 25:19 Iran War and X as Truth Feed
* 32:35 Barry Diller Eyes CNN
* 38:27 YouTube Becomes Media King
* 50:30 Everything Is Cooked
* 01:04:00 Takeaways
* 01:05:51 Good Product
* 01:08:21 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

Block’s 40% employee purge says more about Jack Dorsey’s CEO skills than AI. David Zaslav gets only a PE golf clap for making Warner Bros shareholders money. McDonald’s CEO becomes a symbol of out-of-touch financializers. But hope is on the way as Cal AI’s teenage founders bootstrapped their way to riches.
* 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
* 00:47 Welcome
* 01:45 Human Computer’s Ballgame
* 06:46 AI & Game Dev
* 08:51 Anthropic Pentagon Clash
* 14:04 AI Narrative Wars
* 17:37 War News Fragmentation
* 28:43 Layoffs & AI Excuses
* 32:36 Holding CEO’s Accountable
* 44:29 Cal AI Exit
* 48:09 SXSW Nostalgia
* 53:53 Good Product
* 58:12 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

Data shows widespread trepidation over the AI, whether it’s datacenter construction or possible job displacement, yet little public discussion has taken place. We discuss how that’s changing as AI becomes a political issue. Meanwhile, another reckoning is happening with a return of cancel culture in a new and improved version; the open web faces its own reckoning as grotesque user experiences lead it into a doom loop; and private capital faces a squeeze that will hurt M&A.
* 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:
* 00:50 Irish Hospitality
* 04:37 Intro
* 07:30 AI & The State of the Union
* 24:21 Cancel Culture
* 35:19 Death of the Open Web
* 42:43 Private Capital
* 50:38 Money Making Opportunity
* 01:00:30 Good Product
* 01:06:26 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