People vs Algorithms

Economic growth requires labor productivity. We all aspire, in our own ways, to be productive, if only because our productivity is directly tied to our rewards. Yet American labor productivity has stagnated since the first decade of the internet coming to business. AI is now held out as the latest savior to productivity. Modern productivity culture is an outgrowth of optimization obsession. We can...

This week, we discuss Mark Zuckerberg’s craven capitulation on content moderation, even if it was an inevitable decision; the upside of algorithmic rabbit holes vs the downside of the commodification of attention; and how creator culture is reshaping trust in media institutions. Plus: why the Ninja Creami and IVs are good products. Watch us on YouTube Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter B...

This week, we discuss the outlook in 2025 for legacy media (not great), alternative media (much better), chat as a new media mode, X emerging as a critical power center, and culture wars morphing into class wars. The Information Space in 2025 newsletter Watch us on YouTube Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Alex Schleifer's Human Computer Follow...

Podcasting challenges late nite, lying in media, shopping as content, super consumers and Alex rediscovers America at Disney. 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...

Tech has swallowed media, and is increasingly swallowing other industries and accruing power along the way. Plus: why adding a chatbot won’t save the article page, the real message of the big ad holding company merger, and an introduction to the new PvA companion product. Watch us on YouTube Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter Alex Schleifer's Hu...

Prediction market + news; media’s bifurcating star system; media’s management-labor divide; AI + browsers; car talk; LinkedIn cringe 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...

This week: The internet comes to life as spectacle, Elon proclaims you are the media, why publishers need to get to the transactional level, and an assessment of a new MAGA cultural aesthetic. 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 episo...

This week on People vs. Algorithms, we unpacked London’s charm, the shifting dynamics of media and search, and why Google’s dominance feels both indispensable and fragile. Troy and I contrasted American and British publishing cultures—bigger isn’t always better, as UK publishers adapt to constraints with scrappy innovation. Search’s transformation, fueled by AI and shifts in Google’s strategy, dom...

The election in many ways confirmed what many had suspected: the information space has superceded and subsumed the traditional media world. Traditional media is now just one node, and perhaps more alarmingly its influence – and ability to persuade – has drastically declined. We talk in this episode about the implications of this shift, particularly with the spotlight now on what’s being called the...

We run through the implications of the return of Donald Trump to the presidency after an election that saw the mainstream news media making way for new power brokers in unusual guises. The podcast election proved to be real – and a harbinger of changes to come as the Information Space subsumes the Fourth Estate. Watch us on YouTube Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The...

Complex is a digital media survivor. It has lived many lives, including as a magazine, a dot-com, an ad network, Go90 (RIP) provider, YouTube showrunner, events organizer, hot sauce merchant, neglected BuzzFeed brand, and now in its latest iteration as a commerce engine. Complex President Moksha Fitzgibbons joins the show to discuss his return to Complex, where he was an integral part of the found...

There’s a new consensus about the media business that is emerging. The past is not coming back, that much is for certain. The challenges are well known, and the bright spots — and they exist — tend to be smaller and harder to scale. 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 ...

Mass media’s extinction event has come first for text content. Text is increasingly being "pushed down the stack" and commoditized due to AI's ability to generate, manipulate, and reformat text content. This shift is forcing media companies that primarily deal in text to adapt or risk becoming obsolete. While text isn't disappearing entirely, its role is changing. It's becoming more of an input fo...

This week, we take a look at making bets that go wrong, and how it’s often difficult to tell if a bet is a bad one in the short term. Was Meta’s bet on VR a bad bet? Maybe in the short term, but perhaps not in the long term. Media companies have made their fair share of bad bets over the years, although there weren’t many options available. Will the parade of AI deals join the pile of bad bets? Pl...

This week, we discuss a new framework for the media industry that separates content into two distinct categories: "above the line" and "below the line" media. The line in question represents the threshold of human uniqueness in content creation. Above it lies the territory where human creativity, insight, and expertise still reign supreme. Below it, we find the realm increasingly dominated by AI-d...

The heart of organizations is tension, which when productive can lead to great outcomes. If it goes to extremes, disaster. This week, we discuss tension at OpenAI between its non-profit mission and massive ambitions, the tensions of hacking attention to sell products, the Trump tension between the truth and making a valid a point, and the tension between tech changing consumer expectations and med...

We discuss the Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Google as a classic case of fighting the last war. And even if Google’s monopoly is dismantled, history shows to be careful of what you wish for because what comes next could be worse. Plus: Airmail’s weird business, the struggles at Food52 and why chicken parm is a great American product. Watch us on YouTube Troy Young's People vs Algo...

This week we’re joined by Emily Sundberg and celebrate our 100th episode, talking about classic topics like X vs Threads and is Silence the best product. 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 subscr...

Founders can force change that managers (call them operators) can’t, at least as efficiently. Plus: AI land grab update, Gannett’s commerce play goes away, and the Sicilian tonnara and summer books. 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...

This is shaping up to be a TikTok election where relatability is at a premium. The successful rollout of the Harris-Walz ticket is moving authenticity from loudly telling the truths others dare not to something softer and more familiar. Plus: the recalibration of remote work, AI backlash and the difficulty of deciding level of spending on content as the weight of many publisher models shifts to in...

This week, we discuss conversations vs interviews, why social networking has been replaced by algorithmic content, YouTube’s pivotal role in the emerging media space, and why the Olympics were a great media product. 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 Skip to topic:...

A federal judge has ruled Google a monopoly for locking up distribution with Apple. We discuss the percent and likely impact. Also, memes as the media format of the moment, as they become how big events like the Olympics and presidential election become participatory. Meanwhile, YouTube is becoming modern TV. Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletter A...

OpenAI is readying a new search engine, Meta is pushing further into search with Llama, Perplexity is cutting deals with publishers. This week, we look to what the future of search looks like. Plus: why Nike ended up in Wall Street’s doghouse, why Tucker Carlson is a podcast star, and why Pulp Fiction still works. Nike: An Epic Saga of Value Destruction Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter...

This week, we’re joined by Joe Marchese, operating and build partner at Human Ventures and veteran media exec. We discuss why the obsession with performance marketing has created incentives for many intermediaries to focus on giving the appearance of being responsible for a sale rather than actually contributing to the sale, and how that’s led to short-term approaches that skips the basics of buil...

The assassination attempt on Donald Trump was a stress test for the Information Space, and a reminder of just how much the media has changed. You had mainstream news outlets jockeying with individuals holding forth with a collection of expertise, conspiracies, jokes, memes and partisan potshots. Some of it was informative, some of it was hilarious, some of it was infuriating, and much of it was… e...