The New Moat — People vs Algorithms

Publishers see the writing on the wall for traffic-based models and are instead looking to experiential gatherings that bring together communities. We discuss why events are becoming media’s new moat, the tensions that come with building them, and what happens when AI agents begin acting on their own. Plus: the hypocrisy of closed AI models, Coca-Cola’s Marlboro moment, and why the collapse of the media career ladder is forcing a generation of experienced executives to become free agents.

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Chapters:

* 00:00 Open

* 00:29 Welcome

* 04:08 What Makes Events Great

* 15:58 Media Turns To Community

* 29:25 OpenAI Agent Breakout

* 37:17 Coke Rebrand

* 43:23 Zaslav Buys Summer Camp

* 46:58 Gen X Career Compression

* 58:21 Guardian Model and Substack Anti AI

* 01:01:58 Why Video Aggregation Fails

* 01:04:00 Publishers vs Google Threats

* 01:07:06 Good Product

* 01:15:41 Credits

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