With institutions losing their distribution edge, main-character energy now determines who captures attention. The Olivia Nuzzi spectacle to Michael Wolff’s improbable Epstein cameo show why legacy media suddenly needs characters again. We also cover the Gemini 3 narrative flip, Google’s structural advantages, John Malone’s tax-efficient empire building, Apple News’ strange success despite its bad UX, and the rise of chessboxing as peak Slavic content.* 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* 00:46 Welcome* 01:30 Aura and Lore In The Information Space* 16:17 Gemini 3* 26:52 Financializing Aura* 35:15 John Malone: Last of the cable cowboys* 41:05 Good Product* 51:15 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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52:13
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52:13
Media People
We argue that true media people are troublemakers with taste. They’re people who understand narrative, tension, and how to make others feel something. Michael Wolff and Olivia Nuzzi are Media People. Scott Galloway and Silicon Valley People are not Media People. The media industry has been downsized in the Information Space, with media personalities rewarded more than Media People. Media People will endure.* 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* 00:44 Welcome* 06:42 Job Displacement Tsunami* 16:10 The Problem With Men* 27:57 Media People* 56:14 Netflix Immersive Experience* 01:00:49 Justin Bieber A Twitch Streamer* 01:03:13 Good Product* 01:08:27 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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1:09:20
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1:09:20
The Charisma Dividend
Meanwhile, the New York Times has proven to the exception to the rule in publishing, as most publishers are dealing with “toxic” pageview assets. Plus: The Great Compression has arrived for ad agencies.* 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* 00:29 Welcome* 01:47 New York Mayoral Election* 11:51 AI Bubble Check* 22:53 Job Shifts* 26:13 The Great Compression in Ad Agencies* 35:37 New York Times: Exception to the rule* 44:06 Vox* 52:49 Puck-Air Mail Deal* 55:36 Good Product* 57:14 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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58:10
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58:10
Building Good Product
Plus: Anonymous Banker breaks down the logic of Warner Brothers Discovery’s sale, why celebrity investors are rarely additive, and the extractive logic of AOL’s $1.5b sale.* 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* 00:21 Welcome* 01:48 Age Of Wonders vs What Is This S**t* 12:11 The Goon Squad by Daniel Kolitz* 14:53 Interview Assassin* 17:54 Performative Interview Format* 19:43 Making A Good Product* 37:19 Warner Bros. Discovery Deal* 43:50 Travis Kelsey Activist Investor* 50:23 AOL $1.5Bil Deal* 54:23 Good Product* 58:26 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
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59:20
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59:20
Low Sovereignty
This week, Alex has a hard stop, AB is lost in Tokyo, and Brian and Troy go deep on sovereignty — who has it, who’s lost it, and whether it’s even possible to get it back for publishers and everyone else downstream of Big Tech.They debate whether Substack-style independence represents true sovereignty or just a different kind of dependency; ad tech’s extractive economics, and why “agentic ad buying” won’t fundamentally change a usurious system; and how OpenAI’s march toward becoming the next Google signals another era of centralization.* 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* 06:35 How do publishers reclaim sovereignty?* 22:29 AdTech* 40:00 OpenAI In Browser Wars* 57:57 Good Product* 01:04:02 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
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.
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