People vs Algorithms
- Episodes
- 210
- Released
- weekly
- Latest episode
- Nov 6, 2026
About the podcast
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/
Episodes 210
The Terrarium Breaks
Democrats take Congress, Texas flips, and the Trump-era “terrarium” that media, finance and tech climbed into starts to crack.Winners: the AI decels, after voters rejected data centers in state after state, and …
Show notes
Democrats take Congress, Texas flips, and the Trump-era “terrarium” that media, finance and tech climbed into starts to crack.
Winners: the AI decels, after voters rejected data centers in state after state, and media, which took in a flood of political ad money.
Losers: the tech right, Elon Musk and his half billion in spending, Andreessen Horowitz, the manosphere and prediction markets.
Then they get into why AI agents feel too proactive and too clunky, and Anthony DeRosa joins to talk about the PvA Field Notes Media Lab, his Frontier AI tracker, and his election night test pitting prediction markets and personal agents against the news desks calling races.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 02:26 Paris Reality Check
* 07:35 Midterms Winners and Losers
* 31:14 AI Agents and Media Lab
* 39:59 Dashboards And Agents
* 42:26 Frontier And Election Tools
* 50:04 Monetizing Media Beyond Ads
* 01:05:55 AI Adoption
* 01:17:25 Good Product
* 01:22:46 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.comIt’s the Context, Stupid
Troy and Brian dig into what happens when AI stops imitating Odie as the overly eager helper and starts owning the workflow, the coordination and the organizational memory, why a 100-year-old law firm unraveled …
Show notes
Troy and Brian dig into what happens when AI stops imitating Odie as the overly eager helper and starts owning the workflow, the coordination and the organizational memory, why a 100-year-old law firm unraveled when its high-leverage people walked, and what Microsoft’s voluntary buyouts say about the managerial class. Then CJ Gustafson of Mostly Metrics breaks down Anthropic’s S-1: the growth, the revenue per employee, and where the costs got tucked away.
Plus: Time and Mobian serving ads to AI agents, Axios selling data feeds to client LLMs, cognitive mercantilism, Semafor and the conflicts baked into every media model, Obama vs. the Cheesecake Factory, Serbia’s student movement shows how a decentralized protest movement can wrest power and Troy’s ode to the Starbucks breakfast wrap.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 01:57 Updates From Out and About
* 09:53 AI Podcasts And Law Firm Collapse
* 18:21 PVA Media Lab Update
* 22:28 Claude Duet And Corporate Bloodbath
* 50:54 Cognitive Mercantilism
* 58:28 Media Model Conflicts
* 01:05:54 Cheesecake Factory
* 01:10:17 Serbia Student Uprising
* 01:16:11 Good Product
* 01:19:17 Inside the Anthropic S-1 with CJ Gustafson
* 01:41:10 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.comAnswers Without Questions
We dig into Claude Duet, Meta’s Muse and the rest of the new assistants that suggest before you ask, why Muse’s retention numbers look shaky, and what happens to businesses built on friction, from Chase’s …
Show notes
We dig into Claude Duet, Meta’s Muse and the rest of the new assistants that suggest before you ask, why Muse’s retention numbers look shaky, and what happens to businesses built on friction, from Chase’s no-yield checking to Amazon’s purchase insurance pop-ups. The conversation turns to what gets lost when you get the answer without asking the question, from the mathematicians reeling after OpenAI’s proof drop to Ethan Mollick’s dark factory vs. twilight factory framing in his new book. Plus: Semafor at four, Boston.com goes paid and the dwindling of free ad-supported news, and the virtues of a distinctive accent in a flattened world.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 00:52 Rackets and Reality
* 04:35 Answers Without Questions
* 18:45 Frictionless Future Concerns
* 33:47 Cointelligence and Delegation
* 35:42 Slop vs Skill Building
* 40:09 Paywalls and Platform Wins
* 45:15 Modern Media Models
* 55:51 Good Product
* 01:03:19 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.comSaaSpocalypse Now
An anonymous developer used Claude to ship open-source clones of Adobe’s big five, then Word, Excel, Keynote, AutoCAD and Figma within days, and the lesson is that software is a business of pure margin with …
Show notes
An anonymous developer used Claude to ship open-source clones of Adobe’s big five, then Word, Excel, Keynote, AutoCAD and Figma within days, and the lesson is that software is a business of pure margin with less moat than anyone thought. Packaged software is going the way of packaged media, and the mathematicians are finding out what that feels like.Plus: Alexandr Wang as Zuckerberg’s main character, Silicon Valley’s perennial claim that AI will kill advertising, Netflix cutting HR and legal, friction and the fate of Regina, Apple’s $300 home hub, and deodorant.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 00:47 The Car Is Back
* 04:01 Claude vs ChatGPT Personalities
* 06:45 ArtCraft and the SaaS Apocalypse
* 20:01 Headless Software and Moats
* 37:39 Meta Cheeky Pint
* 45:41 Friction Kills Towns
* 52:44 Good Product
* 01:00:58 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.comThe Friction Economy
This week we dig into how much of the economy is built on friction, and what happens when AI agents start removing it. Also: why students are so gloomy about AI, Vanity Fair’s New Establishment list and who …
Show notes
This week we dig into how much of the economy is built on friction, and what happens when AI agents start removing it. Also: why students are so gloomy about AI, Vanity Fair’s New Establishment list and who gets to confer legitimacy on tech, a vibe-coded Adobe replacement, the race for the new home page, and Troy comes around on Kia.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 01:25 Vanity Fair and Tech Legitimacy
* 07:46 Students Fear the AI Future
* 27:28 Software Moats and Copycat Culture
* 34:28 Friction Economy Disrupted
* 41:37 One Agent New Homepage
* 49:28 Distillation China
* 54:48 Good Product
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.comThe Mother of All Interface Battles
Brian, Troy and Alex debate who will control the interface to your life, whether convenience will steamroll privacy concerns, and how the winner gets to collect a toll on everything you buy. Plus: Silicon …
Show notes
Brian, Troy and Alex debate who will control the interface to your life, whether convenience will steamroll privacy concerns, and how the winner gets to collect a toll on everything you buy. Plus: Silicon Valley’s makeover of government, what comes next for Condé Nast, and why other industries are about to find out what being a publisher feels like.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 00:48 Meet Linda the AI
* 04:53 America.gov Launch
* 15:55 Agents Negotiate Calls
* 20:21 Personal Agents Arms Race
* 36:28 Interface Shift and Business Models
* 57:18 Publishers and Condé Shakeup
* 01:07:49 Good Product
* 01:09:53 Field Notes Corner
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.comThe AI Interface Shift
Brian and Troy dig into Muse, Meta’s push to make AI assistants mainstream, and why the next big platform battle is over the interface itself. They also look at what this shift means for publishers, commerce …
Show notes
Brian and Troy dig into Muse, Meta’s push to make AI assistants mainstream, and why the next big platform battle is over the interface itself. They also look at what this shift means for publishers, commerce and media companies that increasingly risk becoming commodity suppliers to someone else’s agent. Later, Breaker's Lachlan Cartwright joins to sell $60 hats and talk CNN, CBS News, Puck, RedBird and what consolidation looks like when the old media business is being forced to adapt to a very different distribution system.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 01:24 Boston Globe Viral Win
* 05:01 Field Notes Media Lab Build
* 09:28 Muse and Agentic Future
* 29:20 People Become Data Providers
* 45:05 Go Big Media Merger
* 51:42 Redbird Buys Puck
* 01:10:39 Good Product
* 01:19:09 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.comNobody Asked For Dragons
Brian and Troy map the whole cast: who's the wizard, who's the arms dealer, who's the schoolyard bully, and who gets stuck playing the citizens of King's Landing who never asked for dragons. Plus: whether the …
Show notes
Brian and Troy map the whole cast: who's the wizard, who's the arms dealer, who's the schoolyard bully, and who gets stuck playing the citizens of King's Landing who never asked for dragons. Plus: whether the frontier is worth being on, what happens the first time someone dies, Macklemore getting bounced off the Ed Sheeran tour, the rip-off economy, and a spirited defense of yogurt.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 02:45 AI Characters and Shifting Alliances
* 28:48 Public Trust and the China Question
* 33:55 Frontier Labs Go Political
* 39:44 When AI Breaks Things
* 45:42 Field Notes Mixtapes
* 49:46 Quick Hits
* 01:08:33 Good Product
* 01:11:54 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.comCognitive Struggle
They debate warnings from Anthropic researchers that AI could kill humanity, whether anyone can credibly calibrate those risks and whether a visible catastrophe will be required before governments act. They …
Show notes
They debate warnings from Anthropic researchers that AI could kill humanity, whether anyone can credibly calibrate those risks and whether a visible catastrophe will be required before governments act. They also examine Meta’s Muse and the shift from chatbots and specialized agents toward personal assistants that could swallow large parts of the app economy. Meanwhile, AI may not be causing mass unemployment, but it is weakening entry-level white-collar work and the apprenticeship system young people need to get started. Underlying it all is the disappearance of cognitive struggle as phones and AI make it easier to avoid concentration, boredom and difficult thinking. Plus: the iPhone Fold, the analog revival, Ivan Lendl’s Mitteleuropa wisdom, podcast mixtapes and Troy’s missing car.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 01:47 9/11 Anniversary Reflections
* 08:13 US Open Late Nights
* 12:06 iPhone Fold and AI Assistants
* 37:56 Safetyism And Risk Culture
* 42:59 China Race And Trust Gap
* 50:00 Practical Risks And Prep
* 01:02:11 Analog Revival And Community
* 01:10:35 Good Product
* 01:14:24 Episode Wrap
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.comStrong Meat
We look ahead to the release of GTA 6 while tackling the implications of the doomsday sci-fi AI narrative, the use of social cost to coerce behaviors, and how giant sports events like the US Open are now more …
Show notes
We look ahead to the release of GTA 6 while tackling the implications of the doomsday sci-fi AI narrative, the use of social cost to coerce behaviors, and how giant sports events like the US Open are now more brand activation and corporate hospitality platforms.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 12:00 GTA VI
* 20:47 Meta Layoffs
* 33:07 Hugging Face Agent Swarm
* 40:03 AI China Race
* 47:42 Social Costs And AI
* 01:09:04 Good Product
* 01:16:58 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.comOwning the Narrative
Dolly Parton owned a very American narrative of being born poor but making something out of nothing through talent and hard work. In contrast, tech tried to control its narrative and instead stoked backlash to …
Show notes
Dolly Parton owned a very American narrative of being born poor but making something out of nothing through talent and hard work. In contrast, tech tried to control its narrative and instead stoked backlash to their grand project of AI. Plus: A celebration of nerding out, from the Stick Guy to Emma Camp to David Senra. And a conversation with the WSJ computational journalist John West about why the successor to the open web is small private groups.
* Buy John West’s new book - The Internet Will Die and So Will You
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 00:00 Internet Impermanence
* 02:44 Dolly Parton Legacy
* 10:04 AI Narrative Crisis
* 29:35 Fine Line of Authorship
* 38:13 Celebration of Nerding Out
* 44:17 Carney is an Interesting Character
* 50:23 AI Newsrooms And APIs
* 56:08 Flock Cameras And Privacy Backlash
* 01:03:38 John West On AI And The Dying Web
* 01:17:38 Importance of Forgetting
* 01:27:30 What is a Computational Journalist?
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.comSocial Media is Dead
What replaced it is an algorithmic entertainment machine where everyone is selling something, AI makes authenticity harder to trust, and the platforms increasingly have little to do with your actual social …
Show notes
What replaced it is an algorithmic entertainment machine where everyone is selling something, AI makes authenticity harder to trust, and the platforms increasingly have little to do with your actual social network. Brian, Troy and Alex argue over what comes next, why belief may be scarcer than attention, and whether we need more arguments.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 01:12 AI Fakes and Social Trust
* 15:38 The Case for Arguments
* 28:30 Flock Cameras And AI Surveillance
* 33:26 Taboola Takes Over NBC Ads
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.comThe Provenance Problem
Suno makes real songs harder to tell from fake. Launch videos are coming across as fake — and the engagement is fake. Drawing the line between creative tool and robot authorship is fuzzy. We debate people’s …
Show notes
Suno makes real songs harder to tell from fake. Launch videos are coming across as fake — and the engagement is fake. Drawing the line between creative tool and robot authorship is fuzzy. We debate people’s right to know what AI made and the role of regulation. Plus: Bobby Fingers as AI antidote, Meta’s open source push, the Great GDP Debate, media’s exit from the attention economy, and the brand problem Democrats face from Woke 1.
* 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 00:00 Open
* 00:31 Welcome
* 04:38 Field Notes Update
* 06:16 Anthropic Watermarking
* 09:40 Provenance Problem
* 22:42 Meta Back in AI
* 35:28 NVIDIA Compute Futures
* 37:17 Media Survival Playbook
* 40:19 Bobby Fingers Craft Era
* 47:27 GDP Beyond the Numbers
* 50:52 Woke 1.0 Aftermath
* 01:01:00 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.comSales Energy
They take risks, they’re fueled by rejection, they know the power of relationships, they’re competitive and they will do shots. The best sellers follow the way of Catalan fishermen: To get the fish, you gotta …
Show notes
They take risks, they’re fueled by rejection, they know the power of relationships, they’re competitive and they will do shots. The best sellers follow the way of Catalan fishermen: To get the fish, you gotta get your ass wet. Plus: Why the NYT and WSJ hit escape velocity, AI’s new oddball character, and the folly of trying to out-YouTube 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
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 00:00 Open
* 00:36 Welcome
* 02:11 Linda’s Character Flaws
* 05:54 Spencer Vs Galloway
* 11:50 Netflix Offsite Drama
* 13:25 Salespeople Vs Marketers
* 15:36 AI’s New Main Character
* 26:36 Rubbers Mystery
* 29:29 Biohacking Identity Shift
* 36:06 NYT WSJ Escape Velocity
* 43:29 Creator Models Beyond Personality
* 48:53 YouTube Is Untouchable
* 51:04 Hearst Buys A&E
* 56:00 Good Product
* 01:00:54 TRB Audience Summit 9/17
* 01:02:17 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.comAI’s High School Cafeteria
This week we unpack Silicon Valley’s latest AI power struggle, asking whether the battle over open models is really about competition or about taking down Anthropic. We also explore why the internet feels …
Show notes
This week we unpack Silicon Valley’s latest AI power struggle, asking whether the battle over open models is really about competition or about taking down Anthropic. We also explore why the internet feels increasingly broken, how content marketing quietly won, and what happens when every company becomes a media company. Good Product this week is a healthy ego. We discuss how it affects leadership, mental health, ambition, insecurity, and what it means to build a healthier relationship with success. Plus: AI agents in communities, the future of branding, and one very chaotic recording session from Sicily.
* 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
* 00:35 Welcome
* 02:16 Anonymous Feedback Sparks
* 08:38 Open vs Closed AI Drama
* 12:03 Who Benefits From Open Weights
* 17:28 Power Plays and Regulators
* 21:10 Meet Linda the Agent
* 25:35 Content Marketing Wins
* 32:47 Paywalls Ruin the Web
* 37:27 Platforms and New Moats
* 41:29 AI Flood and Filtering
* 47:53 Good Product
* 56:45 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.comThe New Moat
Publishers see the writing on the wall for traffic-based models and are instead looking to experiential gatherings that bring together communities. We discuss why events are becoming media’s new moat, the …
Show notes
Publishers see the writing on the wall for traffic-based models and are instead looking to experiential gatherings that bring together communities. We discuss why events are becoming media’s new moat, the tensions that come with building them, and what happens when AI agents begin acting on their own. Plus: the hypocrisy of closed AI models, Coca-Cola’s Marlboro moment, and why the collapse of the media career ladder is forcing a generation of experienced executives to become free agents.
* 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
* 00:29 Welcome
* 04:08 What Makes Events Great
* 15:58 Media Turns To Community
* 29:25 OpenAI Agent Breakout
* 37:17 Coke Rebrand
* 43:23 Zaslav Buys Summer Camp
* 46:58 Gen X Career Compression
* 58:21 Guardian Model and Substack Anti AI
* 01:01:58 Why Video Aggregation Fails
* 01:04:00 Publishers vs Google Threats
* 01:07:06 Good Product
* 01:15:41 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.comIn Praise of Aggregation
AI should eliminate the need for human content aggregation, yet it's still going strong, as seen by the influential subscriber base of News Items and popularity of aggregation-heavy newsletters like Feed Me …
Show notes
AI should eliminate the need for human content aggregation, yet it's still going strong, as seen by the influential subscriber base of News Items and popularity of aggregation-heavy newsletters like Feed Me. Plus: Argentina's heel turn, Taco Bell's messy brand crisis and a drop-by from CEO Whisperer and self-proclaimed King of Quickbooks CJ Gustafson of Mostly Metrics to discuss tokenomics and building Mostly Metrics into a $5m business.
* 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
* 00:58 Welcome
* 01:41 Field Notes Community
* 05:38 Media Feuds and Characters
* 13:18 World Cup
* 21:01 Affiliate Cookie Stuffing
* 29:43 Standing Out in Marketing
* 38:06 Future of Aggregation
* 51:18 Good Product
* 57:47 Overtime with CJ Gustafson
* 01:02:33 Tokenomics For CFOs
* 01:09:04 Measuring AI ROI
* 01:16:13 What CFOs Actually Do
* 01:18:53 Mostly Metrics Business Model
* 01:24:34 A Good Business Pays Well
* 01:28:30 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.comProtecting Alpha
This week, we discuss why the AI safety narrative is shifting from doomerism to the risk of AI eliminating both companies’ and individuals’ alphas, or what makes them unique and confers on them an advantage …
Show notes
This week, we discuss why the AI safety narrative is shifting from doomerism to the risk of AI eliminating both companies’ and individuals’ alphas, or what makes them unique and confers on them an advantage over the rest of the crowd. For companies, that means assessing whether to trust big AI companies with their proprietary data, and for individuals it means not outsourcing critical thought to a robot everyone else has. Plus: Why Xbox hit a wall, publishers pivot again to video, and the World Cup’s heroes and villains. On PvA OT, Hearst Newspapers chief product & strategy officer Bridget Williams discusses how to make local news a utility.
* 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
* 01:03 PvA Notes Update
* 07:20 World Cup Fever
* 21:43 Drones, Cruises & Boats
* 27:36 AI Safety and Stolen Alpha
* 40:07 Can Policy Beat the Market
* 45:41 Why Xbox Is Struggling
* 49:56 Publishers Pivot to Netflix
* 56:56 Local News as Utility with Bridget Williams
* 01:01:28 AI Tools and Experiments
* 01:11:13 Free vs Paid News Strategy
* 01:16:17 Good Product
* 01:18:26 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.comThe Coldplay Protocol
We dig into the tangled collision of journalism and the creatory economy. Emily Sundberg’s Zuckerberg interview, Brian’s christening as the Matt Belloni-of-advertising, and why guys like Scott Galloway and Gary …
Show notes
We dig into the tangled collision of journalism and the creatory economy. Emily Sundberg’s Zuckerberg interview, Brian’s christening as the Matt Belloni-of-advertising, and why guys like Scott Galloway and Gary Vaynerchuk get a pass to cash in while "real journalists" get side-eyed for it. We also unpack AI's creeping presence in music and writing — can you love an AI song, what happens to "providence" when anyone can fake authenticity, and why lo-fi, bathtub-recorded music is having a moment as a rebellion against it. Along the way: the AI spending bubble, token bills gone wild, the Comcast/Versant breakup, the great AC debate, and a working theory that once you're successful enough, you inevitably become Coldplay.
* 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
* 00:56 PvA Travel Log
* 26:37 AI Costs and Dumb Pipes
* 42:39 Comcast Spins Off NBCU
* 48:12 Hollywood Meets Homelessness
* 52:44 Personality Media Fatigue
* 01:03:31 Fake Podcast Aesthetics
* 01:05:19 Good Product
* 01:10:00 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.comCannes is CES with Rosé
This week’s episode leans heavily into Cannes, which is a world where everyone is selling and many are lying. Creators are the cool kids of Cannes, while the site of a drone show by a mobile ad network is …
Show notes
This week’s episode leans heavily into Cannes, which is a world where everyone is selling and many are lying. Creators are the cool kids of Cannes, while the site of a drone show by a mobile ad network is considered normal. Plus: Ana Andjelic on what makes A24 unique.
* 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
* 00:23 Welcome
* 01:45 Reporting From Cannes
* 08:25 Retail Media Makes Content
* 13:46 Creator Con
* 23:42 Smart Glasses Arms Race
* 29:26 AI Empire Leverage
* 31:59 A24 Money And Mystique with Ana Andjelic
* 37:58 Publishers vs Google
* 45:49 Cannes Cool Kids
* 47:41 Good Product
* 54:08 PVA Notes Updates
* 55:45 Fan Feedback
* 58:24 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.comAmericamaxxing, AI Taste Wars, World Cup Soft Power
We debate whether Anthropic painted itself in a corner with its safety messaging, if Snap Specs pass the taste test, Elon as American icon, and the World Cup and Trump’s UFC fight showcasing the profound …
Show notes
We debate whether Anthropic painted itself in a corner with its safety messaging, if Snap Specs pass the taste test, Elon as American icon, and the World Cup and Trump’s UFC fight showcasing the profound weirdness and contradictions at the heart of the American experience. Plus: Anonymous Banker on why Fox paying $22 billion for Roku makes sense and Troy says someone will buy Semafor.
* 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
* 00:23 Welcome
* 01:52 Field Notes Update
* 07:38 PvA Mixers and Cannes
* 11:05 Anthropic Export Controls
* 18:57 Who Controls Intelligence
* 22:29 Snap Specs Taste Test
* 31:38 Media Ads Are Over
* 38:18 World Cup Soft Power
* 45:50 Elon The Trillionaire
* 49:11 Fox Buys Roku
* 56:30 Post Text Media Future
* 01:02:58 Good Product
* 01:05:37 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.comThe Abundance Economy
Seen one way, AI has democratized the creative process. Seen another, we are swimming in a sea of mediocrity that inevitably crowds out attention to human-led creativity. Plus: Handicapping Hot AI IPO Summer …
Show notes
Seen one way, AI has democratized the creative process. Seen another, we are swimming in a sea of mediocrity that inevitably crowds out attention to human-led creativity. Plus: Handicapping Hot AI IPO Summer, YouTubers as Hollywood's saviors, GLP-1s vs impulse manipulators and Breaker's Lachlan Cartwright on assesses the characters in the 60 Minutes dram that’s like Viagra for media newsletters. Finally, an ode to the old-standby of cocktail parties: pigs in a blanket.
* 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
* 00:40 Welcome
* 02:11 AI Design Pet Peeve
* 06:25 What Field Notes Is
* 14:47 Abundance Versus Quality
* 24:34 Taste Process
* 32:19 YouTube IP Breakout
* 39:09 Fable 5
* 48:27 GLP-1 Economy Shock
* 50:58 PvA Overtime with Lachlan Cartwright
* 55:20 60 Minutes Drama
* 01:12:15 Good Product
* 01:21:48 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.comThe AI Pushback
ChatGPT is advertising it as a souped-up Clippy to help with date-night recipes and sibling road trips. What happened to superintelligence and curing cancer? Disruptive forces always invite pushback, as Bari …
Show notes
ChatGPT is advertising it as a souped-up Clippy to help with date-night recipes and sibling road trips. What happened to superintelligence and curing cancer? Disruptive forces always invite pushback, as Bari Weiss is learning at CBS. In PvA OT: Anonymous Banker on People Inc's AI-hedge with MGM and why YouTube ecosystem events are far better than typical media events.
* Ballgame
* 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
* 01:06 Welcome
* 01:36 Ballgame
* 05:19 PvA Corrections
* 06:27 AI Regulation Arrives
* 11:10 Why Everyone Hates AI
* 18:14 Work Slop
* 26:40 Portable AI Memory Moats
* 35:26 60 Minutes Media Drama
* 45:36 AI Slop Culture War
* 52:50 World Cup and NBA Summer
* 54:55 PvA Overtime with AB: People Inc Eyes MGM
* 01:03:47 YouTube Events and Networking
* 01:10:51 Good Product
* 01:16:23 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.comHomines Contra Algorithmos
We debate the commodification of the human experience, why the upside-down token economics is a more pressing near-term concern, the religious zeal behind SpaceX's valuation, and why HR is the new boogeywoman …
Show notes
We debate the commodification of the human experience, why the upside-down token economics is a more pressing near-term concern, the religious zeal behind SpaceX's valuation, and why HR is the new boogeywoman of the aggrieved and powerful. Plus: Ana Andjelic on why not carrying a phone and having a personal philosopher are new luxury status symbols.
* 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
* 02:33 Pope Leo on AI
* 13:35 Capitalism vs Humanity
* 23:32 SpaceX IPO Faith
* 29:44 AI and HR Backlash
* 41:42 Counterculture to AI
* 45:38 Euromaxxing With Billionaires
* 49:38 New Status Symbols
* 59:41 Ferrari EV Identity Crisis
* 01:05:10 China Rewrites Luxury Rules
* 01:11:35 Good Product
* 01:17:24 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.comSteroid 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 …
Show notes
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.
* 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.comClauditis
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 …
Show notes
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.
* 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.comMonkey 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 …
Show notes
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.
* 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.comThe 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 …
Show notes
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.
* 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.comSpooning 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 …
Show notes
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.
* 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.comHumans 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 …
Show notes
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.
* 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
These are the latest 40 of 210 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
Similar podcasts
More News podcasts
Is this your podcast?
Confirm it with an entry in your feed: you get a code here, add it as podcast:txt to the channel of your feed, and we check it. Your podcast is then shown as “verified” on SoundNode.