We dig into the tangled collision of journalism and the creatory economy. Emily Sundberg’s Zuckerberg interview, Brian’s christening as the Matt Belloni-of-advertising, and why guys like Scott Galloway and Gary Vaynerchuk get a pass to cash in while "real journalists" get side-eyed for it. We also unpack AI's creeping presence in music and writing — can you love an AI song, what happens to "providence" when anyone can fake authenticity, and why lo-fi, bathtub-recorded music is having a moment as a rebellion against it. Along the way: the AI spending bubble, token bills gone wild, the Comcast/Versant breakup, the great AC debate, and a working theory that once you're successful enough, you inevitably become Coldplay.
Chapters:
00:00 Open
00:56 PvA Travel Log
26:37 AI Costs and Dumb Pipes
42:39 Comcast Spins Off NBCU
48:12 Hollywood Meets Homelessness
52:44 Personality Media Fatigue
01:03:31 Fake Podcast Aesthetics
01:05:19 Good Product
01:10:00 Credits
