116 | Optimized Capitalism
Description
In Episode 116 of The Economy of Nothing, Mike Allen and Mike Bedont explore how capitalism has learned to fail profitably.
Starting with a broken washing machine and ending in Hollywood's AI assembly line, the conversation tracks how everything — from appliances to art — is now optimized for replacement.
Topics include:
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Planned obsolescence and the "five-year washer" problem
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Netflix, Disney+, and the streaming arms race
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Warner Bros. Discovery's failed Paramount bid
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The rise of private-money studios like Skydance
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AI in Hollywood and the future of creative labor
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The debut of Mr. Green's Pilot School concept
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Oceans 14 and why every heist movie feels like propaganda
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Stocks, antitrust, and the illusion of infinite growth
"It's not broken — it's optimized."
🎧 Listen on Libsyn, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
📺 Watch the Visual Radio cut on Patreon.
🔗 patreon.com/economyofnothing























