Legacy Humans
The disintegration of trust.
POD 169: Mind Control
From the days of hypnotists and cults in the 1980s, we have shared an obsession and fear of mind control. Today’s mind control comes in the form of black-box algorithmic recommendation systems, autonomous robotics and agentic AI systems. The trust gap has arrived for algorithms, as seen by the backlash against TikTok’s new ownership. Maybe we’re hard wired to distrust men in masks. Plus: CBS News tries to “podcast-ify” a legacy network, the Atlantic’s successful pivot to subscriptions and talent, the Washington Post’s execution problems and identity crisis, Yahoo’s attempt to reassert itself through AI search, and the growing realization that community is the last media moat.
Out FRIDAY AM Apple | Spotify | Substack
Happy you are bringing learnings from Sven Beckert’s phat new book “Capitalism” to the episode, Brian. Keep reporting back.
Potosí was a massive 16th century silver mine in Bolivia that became one of the largest cities in the Americas, bigger than London or Paris at the time. It was built on forced indigenous labor, hauling 100+ pounds of silver up ladders through carcinogenic air, with a 50% mortality rate. The silver financed the birth of modern capitalism, and the Spanish operators, blessed by the church, weren’t monsters, they were responding to the incentives of the system. Good to be mindful of these things.
Is the same extractive energy emerging with AI? We’re volunteering our data, creativity, and labor into a system that may not need us once the extraction is complete, built by people who talk about “legacy humans”?
I have more faith in humanity, so I’ll stay optimistic.
Other bits from a sprawling episode framed by Potosí, where everything ultimately came back to Trust:
1) Mind control & algorithm distrust - We fled human gatekeepers because we didn’t trust them. Now we don’t trust algorithms either. TikTok changes hands to Larry Ellison and immediately people assume speech is being suppressed. What’s the third option?
Meanwhile, Jack Dorsey emerges from his cabin calling for transparency. His new messaging app, Bitchat lets you send messages via Bluetooth mesh networks without internet, cell service, user accounts, or central servers. Is Jack the digital Ted Kaczynski?
Related, TikTok quickly settles social media addiction lawsuit. A dozen related cases are expected this year.
2) Google’s trust advantage - Google is weirdly trusted because it feels like a tool you use, not one that uses you. Gmail giving you free storage, Search serving your need built huge goodwill. Didn’t they just pay $68M for recording private conversations in support of ad targeting? Trust is perception.
Also, Chrome just got a useful Gemini makeover. Lookout ChatGPT.
3) Clawdbot/Moltbot - The ham radio of AI. Nerds installing it on Mac Minis, giving a bot control of their computers. Troy tried it, felt vulnerable, typed terminal commands he didn’t understand. It’s trust built through use—you see it work, you control it locally. That’s different from trusting the black box on someone else’s server.
Watch for a lot of crazy innovation as AI disperses.
4) Tesla’s “Building a World of Amazing Abundance.” - Elon’s efforts to refactor Tesla’s mission will keep the bears in check for now. In a bold move, he will refactor automotive production lines to make robots, a business with so much potential Elon thinks it will shift US GDP. The gap between CES robots bumping into walls and breakfast-making household helpers seems wide, but it’s closing. Do we trust these people to put smart robots in our homes?
“One AI guy was casually talking about “legacy humans” versus “synthetic humans” without acknowledging how insane that sounds. These people scare me more than the algorithms.” - Brian
5) Masks as legitimacy crisis - Vietnam took a generation to turn. The ICE narrative flipped in a matter of weeks. Now we all have cameras. Masked ICE agents versus unmasked Minnesotans standing up for neighbors, that’s not just bad optics, it’s a signal that even the enforcers know something is wrong. When your own people won’t show their faces, you’ve lost something deeper than the news cycle. Trump failed to create an external enemy; now the enemy is us.
6) Tech leaders hedging - Where was Tim Cook? At the Melania screening. Apple people were disappointed. The pragmatic Sam Altman praised Trump’s leadership abilities while admitting “what's happening with ICE is going too far.” There’s no such thing as fuck you money.
7) The Podcastification of media - Bari Weiss told CBS staff nobody wants what they’re making. Relevance will require a harrowing shift from the “Network Mind”: (scheduling, scarcity, polish, authority, one-way, ratings) to the “Podcast Mind” (availability, abundance, presence, authenticity, parasocial relationships, engagement). This is the boldest proclamation of change ever made by a network TV leader.
8) Atlantic’s transformation worked - They made the painful cuts in 2020. Went all-in on subscriptions and a laser focus on the audience. Laurene Powell Jobs gave them cover to navigate a transition. It worked. The Atlantic matters. The talent roster is deep. The pod game is getting better. This week they brought on David Brooks. Changing a media company forces you down two paths; the high road is getting harder and more expensive. Most will move to some form of IP extraction.
9) Washington post’s struggles - Perpetually mired in problems. Pulling out of Olympics coverage, cutting sports. The deeper issue: no discipline on basics. Their food section doesn’t make sense, AI podcasts are dumb, good people have bailed. Sean Griffey’s point—if you’re not executing on basics, strategy doesn’t matter. In a compressing market, you can’t cover up errors.
10) Yahoo Scout - Their new AI answer engine, not claiming to meaningfully compete with Google or OpenAI, but a welcome modernization of interface. Weaves AI through Yahoo’s entire surface. Enhanced financial and sports utility, better email, more useful news curation. The goal, retain the user base and maybe convince a few new folks of the last portal’s utility. Maybe they will find a breakout product along the way.
11) Community as Good Product - Algorithms are hyper-personal, not communal. But community is, and always will be our savior. Simple things like playing tennis with a friend, our Rummikub and takeout Wednesdays ritual — these are the antidote. Even sitting down to watch a show together is a basic form of communal living that the on-demand era has eroded. Community will always be a good product.
"There’s no such thing as fuck you money" -- that might be the single best thing written about the current moment.
Love it: "The Podcastification of media"