People vs Algorithms

We talk about how fandom now powers news, why comedians have turned into pundits, and how combat dynamics are incentivized by the feed. We also explore the blurring of media and politics, from Charlie Kirk’s rise as both activist and media brand to Sam Altman’s combative interview with Tucker Carlson. Along the way, we debate whether niche formats like link dumps and newsletters offer an antidote, and what happens to publishing economics as Google admits the open web is in decline.* 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* 02:43 Charlie Kirk Killing* 12:54 The Great Media Singularity* 30:25 Google Says Open Web Is Dying* 40:00 Publishers Getting Paid* 48:21 Apple Announcement* 55:48 Rupert Got What He Wanted* 58:15 Good Product* 01:00:03 Good Conversation* 01:02:43 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.com

Troy surveys the media landscape and finds a rich buffet of options and many admittedly smaller models that are working just fine, notwithstanding the gloom that shrouds large swathes of institutional media. Perhaps a sign of the times: renewed interest in niche print titles, particularly ones that cater to the affluent and can play a convening role. Alex laments Google's great escape from a structural antitrust remedy. Anonymous Banker weighs in on the logic behind Paramount buying The Free Press and why other Substack deals are coming. Plus: The case for $100 chicken nuggets topped with caviar box at the US Open, padel's rise and AI creativity's ick factor.* 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* 00:32 Welcome* 02:19 Everything is Fine* 22:45 Vogue* 28:21 Google* 40:12 J.Crew AI Models* 42:57 US Open With AB* 55:34 Paddle vs Pickle* 01:00:07 Where's the money going AB?* 01:05:55 Good Product* 01:11:12 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

Plus: the demise of cultural criticism, publishers embracing apps again, and an activist investor taking on The New York Times.* 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* 00:33 Welcome* 01:02 AI & Coffee* 19:39 Re-brands* 28:13 Decline Of Cultural Criticism* 36:39 Apps Are Back* 50:54 NYT Activist Investor* 55:54 Good Product* 01:04:29 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

We start with Charlie Warzel’s essay in The Atlantic, “AI Is a Mass-Delusion Event”, a sober reframing of where we are with AI right now. Pablos insists LLMs are “average engines,” not wisdom machines—good at language, terrible at judgment. Stop anthropomorphizing. These are tools that make daily processes cheaper, faster, or more efficient. Drop illusions of creativity or sentience. From there, we shift to the next disruption wave: hard tech. Pablos sketches self‑sailing wind cargo ships, space‑based solar that beams power down, and small borehole nuclear reactors. He argues hyperscalers’ compute demands will inadvertently fast‑track clean energy. We finish on media. Why Michael Wolff’s perfectly framed summertime Amagansett Instagram missives find beautiful tension reframing sharp political commentary as a kind of lifestyle content. Good media always finds new intersectionality. Enjoy these last wonderful weeks of summer.* 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* 00:36 Welcome* 03:48 AI, what is it good for?* 21:16 Is AI conscious or not?* 25:14 What's next in tech innovation?* 35:24 Is it worth the investment?* 39:52 Exciting or Scary Tech* 42:44 The Force of Media* 55:47 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.com

Plus: the case for media cooperatives and aperitivo, and why running agencies inside publishers is tough.* 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* 00:31 Welcome* 01:41 Summer Stories* 02:30 Food 52* 13:17 Newsette* 15:46 GenZ vs AOL* 18:07 GPT 5* 20:16 Chatbots vs Loneliness* 32:30 Travel Log: Italy* 35:41 Media Co-ops* 42:28 Good Product* 46:26 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

We explore how new tools like Snipd and AI chat bots promise frictionless access to knowledge, but may be trading comprehension for convenience. Along the way: the slow death of the open web, the rise of moral disgust with AI-generated culture, and the parallel media worlds being built by tech and alternative voices. At the center of it all is a question: are we getting smarter, or just better at pretending we are?* 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* 00:35 Intro* 05:12 Welcome* 08:30 Quick Hits: Google Traffic* 15:43 Processing Information* 37:27 Moral Disgust With AI* 46:44 Parallel Media Worlds* 54:42 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 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

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

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

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

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

Plus: the AI disconnect in Cannes, Momdani’s media savvy and the case for European fruits and park’s supremacy.* 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* 00:51 Welcome* 01:36 Smaller Media M&A* 06:59 Substack's Raising Money* 15:23 No AI In Cannes* 28:34 Post Text Media* 32:08 Sports Obsession in Media* 37:07 F-bomb Moment* 43:23 Travel Notes* 49:17 Good Product* 53:47 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

We take a mostly optimistic view of publishing in the AI era, even if Neil allows that search traffic will inexorably trend to zero. Plus: A path to publisher leverage against AI companies.* 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 PvA Live @ Cannes* 01:00 Welcome to PvA @ Cannes* 02:16 Sustainable Media Ecosystem Of The Future* 08:54 Changes in Advertising* 18:11 Google's Reaction* 22:01 AI Media Deals* 35:38 Consolidation of Publishers* 40:09 Q&A* 44:36 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

Alex reviews the “liquid” interface and wonders if anyone at Cupertino actually used the beta outdoors. Plus: a spirited defense of Zaslav as the media's embattled savior, fighting for the spoils of the operator class; the sad saga of the link economy and why publishers are stuck tolling bots for pennies. Also: the gloriousness of popcorn and Coke, Peter Kafka as Good Product, and renewed appreciation for the Denver airport.* 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* 00:45 Welcome* 08:14 In this episode* 14:38 Liquid Glass* 28:33 Sad State Of The Media Economy* 39:34 AB Tags In* 45:18 Death Of The Link Economy* 48:54 AI Toll* 59:12 Good Product* 01:03:27 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

As performance metrics grow murky and traditional advertising falters, proximity is becoming the new proxy for value. We talk through the bloated conference circuit, the rise of curated events, the logic behind Cannes as a marketplace, and why some publishers are pulling back while others double down. Along the way, we debate the wisdom of Newsweek buying an ad tech company, the challenge of turning creator reach into enterprise value, and the case of a $3 million newsletter business with 90% margins that stands in contrast to the deconstruction of legacy media models.Join us in Cannes for a live recording of People vs Algorithms from the Dotdash Meredith villa on Thursday, June 20, at 3:30pm. Troy and Brian will be joined by Dotdash Meredith CEO Neil Vogel and Axios media correspondent Sara Fischer. We'll have drinks and mingling immediately following the recording. Register here.* 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 Welcome* 01:39 NY Tech Week* 06:29 Cannes - A Carnival Of Capitalism* 12:00 Creator Events* 17:58 AI Creative* 29:12 Newsletter: Great Business* 37:33 Newsweek Buying Ad Prime* 45:03 Good Product* 46:32 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

It used its dominant position in search to be the arbiter for the web. As the web moves into an agentic AI era, we break down how Google is positioned and the impact its next evolution will have for the ecosystem it shaped and de facto ruled. Plus: why media’s unionization craze didn’t fix bad models, why nobody can remember any ad campaigns, and the charms of the Shelter Island dump as a community convener.RSVP to PvA Live at Cannes with Sara Fischer and Neil Vogel at the Dotdash Meredith villa.* 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:* 01:10 Welcome* 01:37 PVA Live @ Cannes Lions* 03:43 Media Buyouts* 07:42 The Information Space is Scrambling PR* 12:09 Veo 3* 17:38 Staples' Easy Button is Back* 23:22 Google* 29:50 One-Trick Pony* 34:48 Google Products* 47:40 Google Now* 56:08 How the market views Google with AB* 01:15:56 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.com

In this episode, we dive into how the rise of AI agents and new protocols is replacing browsing with prompting, and pages with machine-readable interfaces. Google and Microsoft are rolling out AI-powered tools that make websites disappear into the background, forcing publishers, marketers, and product teams to rethink how value is surfaced and monetized.* 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* 00:54 Welcome* 03:38 AI Tears Down The Front Door Of The Internet* 25:04 Sam & Jony* 42:39 Bernie on Flagrant* 44:10 Good Product* 46:58 Distribution Direction with AB* 56:50 Understanding Risk Profile with AB* 01:03:44 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

Plus: we learn that Alex is no David Zaslav because he doesn’t see the genius in a CNN weather app, an appraisal of Airbnb’s “everything” app, and a celebration of kookiness of Eurovision.* 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* 01:38 Intro* 02:41 Welcome* 03:23 Eurovision* 08:14 App-mania* 08:53 HBO Max* 12:47 CNN* 19:35 ESPN* 24:11 AirBnB* 32:55 Apple* 59:03 Good Product* 01:06:27 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

We unpack Google’s search reinvention, publishers acting like a deer in the highlights, Perplexity’s emergence as a heel, Apple’s AI misfires, and the risks of AI reinforcement loops. Plus: what happens when publishers still rely on traffic models that are quietly unraveling.* 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* 00:22 Intro* 01:01 AI Search Shake-Up* 18:40 Perplexity’s $50m Venture Fund* 32:20 DOJ vs Google Ad-Tech* 37:26 AI & Mental-Health Risks* 54:15 Valnet “Sweatshop” Roll-up* 01:01:59 Mogul Memoirs & Reputation* 01:03:09 Good Product* 01:07:38 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

* 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* 00:22 Intro* 00:45 Welcome* 01:20 Marketing Advertising Media Events* 07:01 The Shoes That Have Not Dropped* 20:43 Group Chats* 31:38 Zuck Derangement Syndrome* 54:54 Epic Beats Apple* 59:14 Trump Cabinet Influencers* 01:06:32 Good Product* 01:13:29 Overtime With AB 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