People vs Algorithms

The zero-interest rate is in the rearview mirror. And now comes the repricing, not just of assets but also talent. ESPN's been cutting high-priced on-air talent as it prepares for an end to the golden era of cable bundle subsidies. We've seen this happen already to the magazine industry, where the all-powerful magazine editor has faded and these roles become just another job. The clear path for mo...

The open web has never faced more threats, and the prevailing winds of the digital economy are working against the principles and infrastructure that has underpinned the open web for the past generation. Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities Follow  Alex ,  Brian  and  Troy  on Twitter This is a public episode. I...

The FTC has declared war on dark patterns, the use of design to manipulate people into taking actions against their interests. It settled with Publishers Clearinghouse and sued Amazon for what the FTC says are efforts to track and trap people into recurring Amazon Prime subscriptions. The line between optimizations and dark patterns is fuzzy, not least in the media industry.  Troy Young's People v...

The old levers of the media business aren't working. This is a time of existential change in many parts of the media business. This week, Troy and Brian consider the divergent paths taken by The New York Times and CNN. The times has successfully reoriented its business to the DTC lane, after a near-death experience during the Financial Crisis. CNN, on the other hand, never faced such dire straits....

Apple has unveiled its long-anticipated entree into mixed reality, with the announcement of a headset that will be available starting next year. We discuss whether the Vision Pro stands a chance as a mass consumer product, along with the outlook for CNN as its revamp devolves into chaos. Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Alex Schleifer's Univer...

Ads are like cockroaches. You might not like them, but they always find a way to survive and multiply. But without a doubt, the ad industry is facing momentous challenges, not just from short term economic pressures, but the possibility of structural collapse from the shifts driven by AI. The various events The Rebooting is doing in Cannes The New Attention Economy at the Kerv Cafe Troy Young's Pe...

This week, Troy, Alex and I discuss a variety of topics, ranging from Alex’s beef with advertising, whether gaming will ever be fully mainstream, the potential collapse of the cable bundle without sports programming, and how AI could enable super-empowered individuals. Also, Troy reports back with curios from a trip to Tim Horton's. Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's Th...

The pageview has long been the atomic unit of the internet. The business of digital publishing has revolved around it. But in a world of chatbots bringing information directly to people, the power of the page is set to decline as fewer people need to bounce from website to website, instead getting their information “directly to the vein.” This week, Troy, Alex and Brian discuss how the biggest cha...

The battle for engagement has long been a losing battle. The arrival of AI, and the prospect of limitless synthetic content, means media companies on the hunt for engagement are bringing a butter knife to a gun fight. Perhaps it’s time to consider ambient media, the humbler request for people’s partial attention but done in such a way as to establish durable human connection. Troy Young's People v...

The commanding heights of the digital economy are control of the interface. It’s the interface through which the vast expanses of the tangle of data that makes up the digital economy are accessible. Think of the most powerful digital businesses and they are, in essence, interface businesses. Google is the interface for accessing information. Facebook is a social interface. TikTok is an entertainme...

Today we talk about why a lack of alignment led to the demise of the once buzzy Buzzfeed News. We also dive into local news, how AI changes the scale game, and our now not so secret new project. Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities Follow Alex , Brian and Troy on Twitter This is a public episode. If you would li...

Nobody likes friction, at least in the moment. It stands in the way of accomplishing a task. Modern life in many ways has been an exercise in applying technology to remove friction from everyday processes. There has long been too much friction in media businesses, not just in delivery but in the service of making as much money as possible. This week, we discuss the positives and negatives of frict...

This week, Troy, Alex and Brian discuss how we come up with ideas and take them through to execution. We break down the phases, from thinking to making to editing. Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities Follow  Alex ,  Brian  and  Troy  on Twitter This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with ot...

This week, we discuss how the conversation about AI has broken into camps of maximalists, doomers and fatalists. AI looks poised at a minimum to accelerate shifts in media, creating new opportunities, new challenges and likely new destruction. Likely winners: niche and personality media, those with unique data sets and, yes, strong brands as a signal of trust in a world of Balenciaga Popes. All th...

It's been 20 years, and despite endless attempts to bend the internet to its will, advertising remains a fraught part of the digital media experience. The internet put the consumer in control, connected the impression to the transaction, and in the process, completely transformed how we think about advertising, personal data sovereignty, and its underlying economics. AI is about to change things a...

Brian, Troy, and Alex tackle the fascinating topic of formats and explore why they can make or break media companies. Note: this is a re-upload of the episode because Alex screwed it and uploaded an old episode the first time round. That's what you get for trusting RSS feeds. Some links: Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Alex Schleifer's Univer...

Brian, Troy, and Alex jump on a call to talk about that SVB thing and the discourse around it. Some links: Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities 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.peo...

This week Brian, Troy and Alex discuss Substack, why it's turning into a platform, and why e-mail may or may not be its future. Some links: Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities Follow Alex , Brian and Troy on Twitter The Humble Co. Compostable Dental Floss Sticks This is a public episode. If you would like to di...

Today Brian, Troy and Alex ask themselves "what is premium"? They also discuss bundling in its many different forms. How it changed internet media and how AI will change the entire concept of a bundle. Plus: Alex hates advertising, Brian remains in Comfort+ and Troy loves his dog. Ranker Video: "I tried using AI. It scared me." by Tom Scott Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morris...

Software has eaten the world, and for publishers that means a continuous battle to fend off second-order impacts of decisions made by tech companies battling each other or governments attempting to rein in tech companies. This week, we discuss the second-order impacts cascading through the industry from attempts to regulate digital privacy and from, of course, the development of AI. Also, what doe...

Troy, Alex and Brian discuss what's next for interfaces and how we will be getting our media in the future. Show notes: Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Universal Entities Donks by Felix Colgrave Crown Royal x Super Bowl LVII - Thank You Canada (this is the video Troy mentions at the end of the episode) Follow Alex , Brian and Troy on Twitter...

Troy, Alex and Brian discuss differentiation or uniqueness and what it means as the algorithmic age moves into new territory. Show notes: Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Universal Entities "Kids in the 60s..." tweet Follow Alex , Brian and Troy on Twitter This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or ge...

In this episode we discuss the virtues and misuses of optimism. We dig into how optimism gets applied to the way we build strategies, teams, and products in tech and media. We cover a lot in this near hour-long episode but we try to stay upbeat. Show notes: Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Universal Entities Laid Off by @AiyyoShraddha on YouTu...

This week we’re talking about decisions: how to make them, when they go wrong, and the tough decisions that are often forced on you. The longer your career goes, and the higher up you progress in organizations, the decisions you make become the core of your contribution. Make enough decisions, you’ll make plenty of bad ones. We see this clearly in the sharp U-Turn Silicon Valley is making from a s...

We're still in January so we thought we might as well slip in a late predictions episode. Everyone came prepared. Show notes: Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Universal Entities 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.p...