People vs Algorithms

• Winners Take All

  These aren’t companies operating in a different industry than media; they’re different universes. They’re hoarding compute, restarting nuclear reactors, and offering $1 billion pay packages to AI superstars—while laying off hired help. Meanwhile, The New York Times gets over $20 million a year from Amazon in an AI licensing deal that almost no other publisher can touch. The superintelligence economy is starting to look like the ultimate winners-take-all system. We also debate whether the American Eagle Sydney Sweeney ad campaign was designed to provoke, Astronomer’s quick turnaround to make lemonade out of its CEO and HR head’s Coldplay dalliance and why AI models are inevitable but won’t be like what we saw in the Guess campaign in Vogue.* 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* 00:50 Welcome* 04:36 Vox Media* 15:08 NY Times Deal* 20:01 Meta Returns* 28:04 Superintelligence* 47:02 Advertising & New Path To Attention* 01:05:12 Good Product* 01:15:27 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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• Institutional Collapse

  As the old order gives way, the contours of the new media world are coming into view: video and audio are eating text, performance and participation are mandatory, individuals matter more than formats, and being a brand is better than being a publisher.We get into the Washington Post’s third-newsroom experiment, the rise of Pablo Torre's performance investigative journalism, and why Colbert was AOL-dead long before the cancellation. Also: TikTok talent flight, the return of conspiracy as entertainment, and why most magazine brands are now running some version of the Forbes playbook.* 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 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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• Substack As A Unicorn

  The valuation is a classic bet on potential vs reality, as Substack’s execution has been spotty. We unpack the bet on creating an OnlyFans-like network, presumably with less risqué content. Plus: the mini-pivot to livestreams, AI's brand problem with Gen Z, Google Discover gets compressed, the power shift to golf YouTube, and AI coming for Excel jockeys because nothing is sacred.* 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* 01:01 Welcome* 07:49 Substack* 16:28 OnlyFans* 23:12 Free Press* 30:01 Google Discover* 34:31 Rufuss* 36:09 TITV* 43:31 AI Spreadsheet Maker* 51:54 AI Slop* 59:53 Good Product* 01:05:52 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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• The AI Head Fake

  The real issue isn’t that AI killed media. It’s that the old distribution ecosystem has broken down. Plus: the end of Demand Media and Linda Yaccarino’s tenure as X CEO; the coming AI browser wars; why Gen Z skips to the comments; and the afterlife of dead flowers as potpourri.* 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* 00:24 Welcome* 01:21 Linda Yaccarino Stepped Down* 17:19 AI Skapegoat* 29:24 Gen Z Media Habits Study* 41:43 AI vs The Browser* 53:14 Good Product* 55:13 Substack Potential* 57:05 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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• The End of Advertising

  This week, we talk about the collapse of traditional advertising, the rise of memetic political communicators like Zohran Mamdani, why words might not matter much longer, and whether publishers fighting back against AI bots is folly. We also get into the cognitive toll of generative AI, the backlash to wealth spectacle, and how grilling large-format meats is at the heart of middle-aged American masculinity.* 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 Welcome* 02:25 Mamdani Phenomenon* 14:14 Pusillanimous Paramount* 21:12 Wealth Smugness* 25:39 Agency Business & The Ad World* 38:16 AI vs Writing* 46:43 AI vs Publishing Industry* 56:08 Good Product* 59:36 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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