People vs Algorithms

They unpack the "orality thesis" and what the shift from written to spoken culture means for how we think, communicate, and vote. On the media side, they map out what's actually working right now: audience-first elite brands, B2B trojan horses like Hearst, expert creator newsletters, and the relentless pull of performance marketing, and AI-generated monkey content on YouTube. Plus: a report from the Swiss Alps.
* 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

Chapters:
* 00:39 Welcome
* 05:13 Orality Thesis
* 08:42 Writing vs Talking
* 12:07 Doom-Maxing
* 22:58 Leadership Crisis
* 33:16 The Best and Worst of Media
* 52:06 Synthetic YouTube Content
* 56:36 Good Product
* 01:03:41 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 age of AI is off to a shambolic start. Anthropic and OpenAI ran Super Bowl ads that fell flat. The gap is widening between the AI-pilled true believers and the Normals, as AI becomes yet another existential anxiety. Plus: Alex breaks down the design systems deployed by Trump vs Mamdani, and Troy says The Washington Post has a product problem.

* 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

Chapters:
* 00:27 Welcome
* 07:46 Billionaires Flock to Miami
* 11:21 AI Anxiety
* 31:08 Design & Government
* 35:36 Mamdani Design Language
* 37:43 A Very Difficult Job: Running the WaPo
* 56:37 Good Product
* 59:55 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

Meanwhile, brands are facing reputational crises from their ties to the government as Scott Galloway calls for a boycott of companies who sell their products to ICE. Jeff Bezos’ well-earned reputation as a business genius is at risk as his 13-year tenure owning The Washington Post turns into an unmitigated disaster. Meanwhile, Anthropic wants to develop a high-minded reputation by dinging OpenAI for the crime of running advertising. Finally, media might be in its death throes, but there’s always a need for a B2B conference that brings together the buy and sell side of the avocado market.
* 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

Chapters:
* 00:20 Welcome
* 05:09 Reputational Cost
* 22:36 Company Reputation
* 30:56 Bezos & WP Disaster
* 41:55 Bringing Together The Buy & Sell Side
* 48:24 AI & Ads
* 56:31 Good Product
* 01:01:21 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

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.
* 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

Chapters:
* 00:35 Welcome
* 04:11 Mind Control
* 13:39 Clawdbot/Moltbot
* 17:54 Elon Reframing Tesla
* 23:46 Minnesota Obscenity
* 36:06 Algorithms and Social Media
* 42:17 Hardcore Media Topics
* 59:14 Local News and Nonprofit Models
* 01:06:33 Good Product
* 01:12:05 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, like old Italian men with their hands clasped behind their backs at construction sites, we are monitoring various situations: Snowmageddon 2026, OpenAI’s inevitable embrace of advertising, Claude Code’s escape from the nerdery, why publishers are embracing prediction markets, the Davos divide between the Mark Carney and Donald Trump styles of communication, and the latest reminder that nothing ever really dies in media, it just mutates.
* 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

Chapters:
* 00:00 Open
* 00:46 Welcome
* 05:30 OpenAI Getting Into Ads
* 26:29 Claude Code’s Escape From The Nerdery
* 40:16 Prediction Markets
* 50:29 Quick Hits
* 01:15:40 Good Product
* 01:17:14 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