x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

People vs Algorithms

Troy Young, Brian Morrissey, Alex Schleifer

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. Get our newsletters: https://www.peoplevsalgorithms.com/ https://www.therebooting.com/

technology business news

All Episodes

01:19:29

Misaligned Media

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/09/21

Most of the challenges facing media come down to misaligned incentives. Publishers face a bad set of options to serve the competing interests of advertisers and the audience while keeping the lights on. The horror show of UK news sites is a sign of things to come. Publishers and platforms have long had misaligned incentives, as games studios are belatedly finding out, while companies are struggling to balance the incentives of workers, management and shareholders.Troy Young's People vs Algorithms

en

58:49

Dismembering Disney

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/09/14

This week, we discuss the rebundling, with a focus on the future of pay TV and why tech companies will inevitably be the rebundlers with media companies the rebundled.Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal EntitiesFollowAlex,BrianandTroyon Twitter

en

55:02

Heroes, Villains and Assholes

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/09/07

One person's "fire-breathing dragon" is another person's asshole. The zero-interest rate era is in the rearview mirror, and businesses will be under more pressure to do more with less. Between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, there is a celebration of behavior that might easily be described as assholish. This week, we contemplate where the line exists, particularly in an ambitious work environment. Plus: How our love of narratives gives rise to simplistic heroes-and-villains fables, and a defense of

en

45:38

Mass Media Crackup

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/08/24

The foundations of mass media continue to erode, from the declining relevance of presidential debates to the uncertain future of TV in a streaming era to publishing brands becoming distribution channels for energy supplements.Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal EntitiesFollowAlex,BrianandTroyon Twitter

en

53:06

Media Is From Mars, Tech Is From Venus

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/08/16

In this Brian-free episode Troy and Alex discuss the tension between media and tech, what changed and why. Plus: weird billionaire takes, the next internet, and a new browser. Debating the Future of AI: A Conversation with Marc AndreessenThe Value of News Content to Google is Way More Than You ThinkTroy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal EntitiesFollowAlex,BrianandTroyon Twitter

en

43:01

Summer Media

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/08/09

This week Troy, Brian and Alex talk about their summer media habits when on vacation or just trying to unplug.Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal EntitiesFollowAlex,BrianandTroyon Twitter

en

36:10

More With Less

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/08/03

Maybe publishing stinks as a scaled business, and it won't ever be otherwise. The most promising models I see tend to focus on elite audiences ofbusiness or political decision makers,lifestyle segments that lend themselves to commercial transactions or front operations for other more lucrative businesses in completely different categories. That will require a refactoring of publishing organizations to cover more ground with fewer resources.Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian

en

01:05:38

Distribution Chokepoints

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/07/26

This week: Media cannot escape being aggregated; Elon Musk's superapp fever dream; Hollywood's dead-cat bounce with Barbieheimer; and publishers look to events to exit a tough digital ad market.Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal EntitiesFollowAlex,BrianandTroyon Twitter

en

01:10:32

Distribution Disruption

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/07/19

Every business deals with disruption andchallenges, but the media business is somewhat unique in having such profound upheavals to its distribution paradigms. Music faced it first. Publishing went next. And now we’re seeing entertainment, whether TV or film, face the same turbulence as distribution shifts to streaming and the economics change profoundly. Plus: what’s cool, why corporate values aren’t much of a moat, how Airbnb puts design at the heart of everything it does and a review of Homewood

en

52:48

The Talent Repricing

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/07/12

The zero-interest rate is in the rearview mirror. And now comes the repricing, not just of assets but also talent. ESPN's been cutting high-priced on-air talent as it prepares for an end to the golden era of cable bundle subsidies. We've seen this happen already to the magazine industry, where the all-powerful magazine editor has faded and these roles become just another job. The clear path for most talent is to take an independent path and develop their own media company as opposed to being at the

en

58:33

Twilight of the Open Web

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/07/07

The open web has never faced more threats, and the prevailing winds of the digital economy are working against the principles and infrastructure that has underpinned the open web for the past generation.Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal EntitiesFollowAlex,BrianandTroyon Twitter

en

58:22

Dark Patterns

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/06/30

The FTC has declared war on dark patterns, the use of design to manipulate people into taking actions against their interests. It settled with Publishers Clearinghouse and sued Amazon for what the FTC says are efforts to track and trap people into recurring Amazon Prime subscriptions. The line between optimizations and dark patterns is fuzzy, not least in the media industry.Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal

en

43:36

NYT vs CNN

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/06/14

The old levers of the media business aren't working. This is a time of existential change in many parts of the media business. This week, Troy and Brian consider the divergent paths taken by The New York Times and CNN. The times has successfullyreoriented its business to the DTC lane, after a near-death experience during the Financial Crisis. CNN, on the other hand, never faced such dire straits. Thanks to the insulation of the cable model, with carriage fees paid no matter the rating, CNN couldput

en

58:24

Enter the Face Computer

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/06/07

Apple has unveiled its long-anticipated entree into mixedreality, withthe announcement of a headset that will be available starting next year. We discuss whether the Vision Pro stands a chance as a mass consumer product, along with the outlook for CNN as its revamp devolves into chaos.Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal EntitiesFollowAlex,BrianandTroyon Twitter

en

54:14

The End of Ads and The Last Impression

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/06/01

Ads are like cockroaches. You might not like them, but they always find a way to survive and multiply. But without a doubt, the ad industry is facing momentous challenges, not just from short term economic pressures, but the possibilityof structural collapse from the shifts driven by AI.The various events The Rebooting is doing in CannesThe New Attention Economy at the Kerv CafeTroy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal

en

57:45

Advertising Is Bugs

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/05/25

This week, Troy, Alex and I discuss a variety of topics, ranging from Alex’s beef with advertising, whether gaming will ever be fully mainstream, the potential collapse of the cable bundle without sports programming, and how AI could enable super-empowered individuals. Also, Troy reports back with curios from a trip to Tim Horton's. Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal EntitiesFollowAlex,BrianandTroyon Twitter

en

01:00:07

The Deterioration of Webpages

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/05/17

The pageview has long been the atomic unit of the internet. The business of digital publishing has revolved around it. But in a world of chatbots bringing information directly to people, the power of the page is set to decline as fewer people need to bounce from website to website, instead getting their information “directly to the vein.” This week, Troy, Alex and Brian discuss how the biggest change to search in a generation will drastically change the digital media business.TemuPalantir AIP |

en

51:21

Ambient Media

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/05/10

The battle for engagement has long been a losing battle. The arrival of AI, and the prospect of limitless synthetic content, means media companies on the hunt for engagement are bringing a butter knife to a gun fight. Perhaps it’s time to consider ambient media, the humbler request for people’s partial attention but done in such a way as to establish durable human connection.Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal

en

47:11

The New Interface

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/05/03

The commanding heights of the digital economy are control of the interface. It’s the interface through which the vast expanses of the tangle of data that makes up the digital economy are accessible. Think of the most powerful digital businesses and they are, in essence, interface businesses. Google is the interface for accessing information. Facebook is a social interface. TikTok is an entertainment interface. This week, Troy, Alex and Brian discuss how AI is already changing the interface for

en

55:44

Why Buzzfeed News got shut down

People vs Algorithms ·

2023/04/26

Today we talk about why a lack of alignment led to the demise of the once buzzy Buzzfeed News. We also dive into local news, how AI changes the scale game, and our now not so secret new project.Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal EntitiesFollow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter

en

132 results

Similar Podcasts

Lead With AI

Tamara Nall

Linux in the Ham Shack

Black Sparrow Media

Data Engineering Podcast

Tobias Macey

Eye On A.I.

Craig S. Smith

Reflections

Livewire Labs