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Articles by Troy Young
Answers Without Questions
We dig into Claude Duet, Meta’s Muse and the rest of the new assistants that suggest before you ask, why Muse’s retention numbers look shaky, and what happens to businesses built on friction, from Chase’s no-yield checking to Amazon’s purchase insurance pop-ups. The conversation turns to what gets lost when you get the answer without asking the question, from the mathematicians reeling after OpenAI’s proof drop to Ethan Mollick’s dark factory vs. twilight factory framing in his new book.
SaaSpocalypse Now
An anonymous developer used Claude to ship open-source clones of Adobe’s big five, then Word, Excel, Keynote, AutoCAD and Figma within days, and the lesson is that software is a business of pure margin with less moat than anyone thought. Packaged software is going the way of packaged media, and the mathematicians are finding out what that feels like.
The Friction Economy
This week we dig into how much of the economy is built on friction, and what happens when AI agents start removing it. Also: why students are so gloomy about AI, Vanity Fair’s New Establishment list and who gets to confer legitimacy on tech, a vibe-coded Adobe replacement, the race for the new home page, and Troy comes around on Kia.
The Mother of All Interface Battles
Brian, Troy and Alex debate who will control the interface to your life, whether convenience will steamroll privacy concerns, and how the winner gets to collect a toll on everything you buy. Plus: Silicon Valley’s makeover of government, what comes next for Condé Nast, and why other industries are about to find out what being a publisher feels like.
Tell Your Kids to Go Into Media
Troy surveys the media landscape and finds a rich buffet of options and many admittedly smaller models that are working just fine, notwithstanding the gloom that shrouds large swathes of institutional media. Perhaps a sign of the times: renewed interest in niche print titles, particularly ones that cater to the affluent and can play a convening role. Alex laments Google's great escape from a structural antitrust remedy.
The Ultimate Media Business Model
POD: Media, narratives, markets with Nick Denton, EP 138. Gawker Media founder Nick Denton joins the show to discuss how narratives and memes run the world, and why it’s better to trade on them than run the old media playbook of the attention economy. Apple | Spotify | other podcast platforms.Watch PvA on YouTube.Out everyFriday AM. Too long… Read in the browser. PVA CONVERSATION TROY: I know Nick Denton is doing heavy rounds right now, but I really wanted to have him on the podcast.
Why I use Snipd for podcasts đ§
Snipd is my favorite app for listening to podcasts. It lets me tap my AirPods to save a highlight when I hear something interesting. I sync those highlights to my notes app and occasionally share them online. Best features Tap a button to mark a point of interest; share highlights with friends or export them to a notes app like Notion or Readwise. Why use it? Save moments you want to remember from podcasts youâre learning from. Build a reference library of audio clips to learn from or share.
The Olympics and the Future of TV on Apple Podcasts
This week, we discuss conversations vs interviews, why social networking has been replaced by algorithmic content, YouTube’s pivotal role in the emerging media space, and why the Olympics were a great media product.
On Power
I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses. Sometimes it’s nice to read in the browser. Shifting Tides in the Media Business with Axios’s Sara Fischer PvA podcast out now. "The world itself is the will to power - and nothing else! And you yourself are the will to power - and nothing else!" - Friedrich Nietzsche Our world is only getting less predictable.
On Power
I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses. Sometimes it’s nice to read in the browser. Shifting Tides in the Media Business with Axios’s Sara Fischer PvA podcast out now. "The world itself is the will to power - and nothing else! And you yourself are the will to power - and nothing else!" - Friedrich Nietzsche Our world is only getting less predictable.
Game Over
I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses. Sometimes it’s nice to read in the browser. More fun on this week’s podcast. Out Thursday, 8am EST. Despite having spent many years of my life attempting to prove the contrary, my new theory is that much of digital media is just structurally imperiled. It has only sustained this long by an endless string of hacks and low cost capital.
CES, Ackman’s War, News App Fails on Apple Podcasts
This week we talk CES, the ongoing silliness of the Bill Ackman-Business Insider feud, and why news aggregation apps are the obvious solution in search of a (monetizable) problem. Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Universal EntitiesFollow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter
High Metabolism
I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses. Sometimes it’s nice to read in the browser. Listen to the PvA podcast. This week we check in with Gen Z. Find it here. I’ve been thinking about a company I’m involved with. Its a digital media company of sorts. One with stellar performance. There’s something special about it. While its name is not important, many of the principles by which it operates are.
Newsletters Are The Opposite of Procrastinating
I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses. Sometimes it’s nice to read in the browser. Ya, I’ve been a bad, bad newsletter person. My summer respite turned into something more protracted. As I ponder the future of this thing, some quick Thursday thoughts for the team. We like NYT puzzles, maybe more than News That Is Fit to Print.
Misaligned Media on Apple Podcasts
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.
Lonely Boy
I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses. Sometimes it’s nice to read in the browser. They wanted to hate it. Zuck made us all want to hate it. But most every review I've seen from the few that got to try the new Apple Vision Pro headset had something positive to say.
Getting Chegged
I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses. Sometimes it’s nice to read in the browser. Chegg, a subscription ed-tech company that offers students test prep, tutoring, textbook rentals etc, lost half its market cap this week on reports that a new competitor was stealing market share. That competitor… ChatGPT.
Why Buzzfeed News got shut down on Apple Podcasts
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
A New AI Organization Beckons
I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses. Sometimes it’s nice to read in the browser. It's been about six months since ChatGPT was released as a consumer product. A lot has happened in a frighteningly short span of time.
People vs Algorithms: Fear and Loathing, AI Edition on Apple Podcasts
This week, we discuss how the conversation about AI has broken into camps of maximalists, doomers and fatalists. AI looks poised at a minimum to accelerate shifts in media, creating new opportunities, new challenges and likely new destruction. Likely winners: niche and personality media, those with unique data sets and, yes, strong brands as a signal of trust in a world of Balenciaga Popes.
Can Media Survive the AI Onslaught
I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses. Sometimes it’s nice to read in the browser. Note: Monday? You never send Monday. Well, I came down with something… Which may explain why the note meanders a bit more than usual! I will be traveling next week… T There's an epic battle shaping up concerning the future of AI in society.
Wonder Tools đ§ The best podcast app
Snipd is the best podcast app for saving and sharing excerpts from anything youâre listening to. Itâs free and easy to use on iOS & Android. Best features | Tap a button to mark a point of interest; share highlights with friends or export them to a notes app like Notion or Readwise. Why use it? Save moments you want to remember from podcasts youâre learning from. Build a reference library of audio clips. Share with teammates. Caveats | No desktop or Web app. Cluttered interface.
When The Internet Becomes Chat
I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses. I haven't read famed producer Rick Rubin's new book "The Creative Act: A Way of Being" and probably won't. But it's fun to listen to him ramble on about his Buddhist like dedication to creative process, among other interesting music things. Rubin is doing a remarkable amount of press lately, most recently stopping by Ezra Klein's podcast. It's worth a listen.
2023 Winners and Losers on Apple Podcasts
We're still in January so we thought we might as well slip in a late predictions episode. Everyone came prepared. Show notes:Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterUniversal EntitiesFollow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter
People vs Platforms on Apple Podcasts
We’re closing out the year with a series of conversations that look at the trends that will define these patterns in media, technology and culture in the year ahead. Last week we started with artificial intelligence. This week, we’re looking ahead to platforms, in particular social platforms, as they are in a time of transition. We look ahead and discuss what trend to expect as we sort through the role platforms will play as they’ve grown too big and too powerful perhaps for their and our own good.
People vs AI on Apple Podcasts
Thanks to AI, 2023 will likely be the year when we fall in love again with the magic that can be technology and also confront the thorny questions around misinformation, the nature of ownership and copyright and, oh by the way, will those of us who have mostly typed words for a living need to be retrained to do something else? There is also the grand existential question: Is it going to replace us?
The disappointments of the open web on Apple Podcasts
This week, Troy, Alex and Brian discuss the fate of the open web through the lens of building sustainable publishing business models. One key shortcoming is around micropayments. Logic says this should exist. Even the most successful publishers convert only a small fraction of their total audience to paying subscribers. And that’s because of misaligned incentives. What makes sense for the audience does not make sense for publishers.
50 AI Things
I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Brian Morrissey and I break down why very smart and successful people like Sam Bankman-Fried and Elon Musk are stumbling so badly. This is the thing about technology. While solving one problem, it creates new ones.
Taylor Swift and The New Distribution
Welcome to People vs Algorithms #48. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Taylor Swift released her new album, a collection of 13 songs called “Midnights” at, duh, midnight, last night. Then at 3am she released a bunch of more songs because the album is about sleepless nights and she loves a good narrative.
AI and the Age of Creative Superhumans
Welcome to People vs Algorithms #47. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Brian Morrissey and I talk about Meta’s next chapter, AI and more on this week’s podcast. Listen here. This story was not written by AI. It probably could have been. It certainly will be in the future. It was written by me.
‚ÄéPeople vs Algorithms on Apple Podcasts
85 episodes 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: http://peoplevsalgorithms.com http://therebooting.com 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.
Community
Welcome to People vs Algorithms #40. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Maybe community is just the wrong word. I apologize for titling this note opportunistically. But you have likely used the word indiscriminately many times. We all have.
NFT As Media
Welcome to People vs Algorithms #39. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. It was hard to justify spending $2000 on a bear cartoon. This wasn't a famous Paddington, Pooh, Rupert or Grateful Dead Aiko bear. It was a Killabear.
Six Trade-Off Lessons - by Troy Young
Welcome to People vs Algorithms #38. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. I will resist mocking Instagram head Adam Mosseri and his spoof-worthy community outreach videos. It's not easy being the explainer in chief for a social network in transition.
The Webpage
Welcome to People vs Algorithms #34. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Note 1: The team at PvA (ha) has been operating on summer hours. Was out of the country traveling last week and did not have discipline to file from the road.
Visualizing Media
Welcome to People vs Algorithms #33. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. I had dinner a couple of nights ago with a Founder / CEO of a fast growing media platform company, one with a nose-bleed valuation, +100% yoy growth and a world domination vibe. Who was it and what is a media platform company?
The Most Important Role In Media
Welcome to People vs Algorithms #30. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Get my free weekly email here: Media a little like raising cattle. For those that dislike the meat analogy, other types of farming will do. The audience is the cow. Maintaining their attention requires proper care and feeding.
Manifesting
Welcome to People vs Algorithms #29. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Get my free weekly email here: A lot of people are talking about “manifesting” right now. I have been thinking about it too, both in relation to my personal life and the media world more broadly.
The internet meat grinder
Welcome to People vs Algorithms 28. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Note: I decided to move the send to Friday. Brian Morrissey moved to Thursday and that’s too much goodness for one day. Let’s see how it goes.
Media Narcissism
Welcome to People vs Algorithms 27. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. This is about you. One way or another, media always is. If it wasn’t you wouldn’t consume so much. Social media made it even more about you because with social media you get to be the star.
Send in the clowns
Welcome to People vs Algorithms 24. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Get my free weekly email here: Close of a chapter JFK airport is busy again. The Palm restaurant recently reopened. So have the Victoria Secret and Hugo Boss stores, though people rarely seem to go in.
Lean Media
Welcome to People vs Algorithms 22. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Get my free weekly email here: TLDR Digital media is highly efficient.
How to Make Content Work Harder
Welcome to People vs Algorithms 21. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Get my free weekly email here: Does anyone read this? An anecdote: “Perhaps this is a contrarian take,” he said, “but does anyone actually read all of these emails. I mean I get so fucking many.
Nobody Cares About Your Website Except You.
Welcome to People vs Algorithms 20. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Get my free weekly email here: If you have to work too hard to make an idea come into focus, it might not be a good idea to begin with. Or maybe you’ve started with the wrong question.
How to launch a brand now
Welcome to People vs Algorithms 19. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Get my free weekly email here: Kanye on the brain Procrastination led me to the new Kayne West Netflix docuseriesJeen-yuhs.
A Working Hypothalamus
Welcome to People vs Algorithms 18. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Get my free weekly email here: Here’s the set up. You walk into the office each morning remembering absolutely zero about your life outside.
The Wrath of Razzlekhan
I thought the Super Bowl Halftime show was entertaining. The philosopher (now officially a reoccurring newsletter character) agreed. But his kids, who recognized most of the tracks from the philosopher's “dad’s cringe hip hop playlist”, didn’t. Notably absent were contemporary rap stars.
A media thesis
Welcome to People vs Algorithms 15. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Get my free weekly email here: The laws of gravity hit Netflix last week. A forecasted Q1 membership growth miss sent the stock into a tailspin. The company will add about 11M new subs between Q4 and Q1, well below previous guidance.
Content marketing's AI future
Welcome to People vs Algorithms 14. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Get my free weekly email here: I had to go back to Saskatchewan this week. For those of you that need a geography lesson, here's a link.
Web3's Summer of Love
Photo credit: Gustavo Zambelli, Unsplash Welcome to People vs Algorithms 13. I look for patterns in media, business and culture. My POV is informed by 30 years of leadership in media and advertising businesses, most recently as global President of Hearst Magazines, one of the largest publishers in the world. Get my free weekly email here: Let's say someone gets robbed. And let's say it's of material value, like a couple of million dollars.
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