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How the Attention Economy Is Devouring Gen Z — and the Rest of Us
Duration: 01:05:50
July 8, 2025
- The conversation highlights a growing sense of "nihilism" among Gen Z due to factors like the eroding college wage premium, expensive housing, and the looming threat of AI in the job market.
- The discussion emphasizes how attention is increasingly becoming infrastructure, where traditional economic foundations are shifting toward attention and the narratives that drive it, especially in the digital world.
- The podcast explores the idea that friction holds value, suggesting that a lack of struggle and the pursuit of frictionless experiences can lead to meaninglessness in both individual lives and society as a whole.
The Disaster That Just Passed the Senate
Duration: 01:11:22
July 2, 2025
- This new bill contains trillions in tax cuts, heavily favoring the wealthy, offset by significant cuts to Medicaid, nutrition assistance, and clean energy programs.
- The Medicaid cuts in the bill, particularly through work requirements and provider tax changes, will likely cause many people to lose coverage, and could have a disproportionate impact in Republican-leaning states.
- Dynamic scoring of the bill revealed that increased deficits and interest rates will negatively impact economic growth, exacerbating the costs for things like mortgages and business loans.
Mamdani, Trump and the End of the Old Politics
Duration: 01:24:15
June 28, 2025
- The Zoran Mandani campaign showcased the power of short-form vertical video and leveraging algorithmic social media to mobilize voters and earn attention, contrasting sharply with traditional, expensive TV ad strategies employed by his opponent.
- The discussion explored the tension between authentic communicative talent and platform expertise, emphasizing that even charismatic politicians need to understand and become native to new media to effectively connect with voters.
- The speakers grappled with the impact of mimetic policies and the dilemma of balancing governing effectively with making attentionally salient campaign-style promises, potentially leading to voter disappointment if unfulfilled.
A New Middle East?
Duration: 00:48:47
June 25, 2025
- The Syrian rebels have prevailed and formed a new government, marking a significant leadership change with Assad now ousted.
- Iran and Russia are losing influence in the region due to their support of Assad, with Russia also losing its military foothold in the Mediterranean.
- Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Turkey, and Israel emerge as winners, due to the reduction of Iranian influence and Turkey's potential role in shaping the new Syria.