Topic: Medium

Annie Altman, sister of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has published allegations on Medium regarding a history of control and abuse within their family. The posts appeared amidst the recent leadership turmoil at OpenAI. The claims include accusations of conditional love and psychological harm, adding a personal dimension to the public scrutiny of the tech executive.

A 1999 clip of David Bowie is played, where he predicts the internet will become an "alien life form" and fundamentally change the relationship between providers and audiences. One host recalls Bowie being a fan of their previous show, "Silicon Spin." They discuss how Bowie's vision of a "simpatico" relationship between creator and audience has come to fruition.

The success of Substack is contrasted with the failure of Medium, founded by Evan Williams. While Medium utilized heavy editorial oversight that stifled creators, Substack’s model allows journalists to publish directly to subscribers, though concerns remain about the eventual pressure on payment processors to censor content.

Over 2,000 former Department of Justice officials signed a letter calling for Attorney General William Barr's resignation following his intervention in the Roger Stone sentencing. Investigation into the list suggests it is a recurring group of Democratic-leaning former officials who previously called for Trump's impeachment. The letter is characterized as a partisan "mailing list" rather than a spontaneous professional outcry.

Twitter co-founder and Medium CEO Ev Williams discussed the negative impact of the advertising-based attention economy on the internet. Williams argued that the drive for clicks rewards cheap, sensationalist content like "yelling fire in a theater." He positioned the subscription model as a way to ensure value and honesty in publishing, though critics describe his platform Medium as a "vanity press" where writers pay for distribution.

The fallout from Chloe Dykstra's Medium essay detailing alleged emotional and sexual abuse by an unnamed former partner, identified as Chris Hardwick, is discussed. The hosts analyze the power dynamics described in the essay and the swift reaction by NBC and other partners to distance themselves from Hardwick. The segment touches on the "Stalinist" nature of corporate erasure in the wake of such allegations.

Tech evangelist Robert Scoble faces allegations of sexual harassment following a Medium post by Quinn Norton. Scoble initially attributed his behavior to past struggles with alcoholism and his 12-step recovery process, but new allegations suggest more recent incidents. The hosts discuss the impact of these revelations on Scoble's career and the broader Silicon Valley culture.

Dame Francine Hardaway is recognized for her career at Intel and her recent Medium post on industry misogyny. A tattoo artist from Melbourne, Australia, offers free No Agenda tattoos to the community. The hosts prepare to wrap up the first round of executive producer credits.

Ev Williams, founder of Blogger and Twitter, announced significant layoffs at Medium, cutting one-third of the staff. Williams admitted that the ad-driven model for media is not serving creators or consumers and expressed a desire to move toward a "value for value" system where writers are rewarded for enlightening content. The hosts mock the delay in this realization, noting they have operated on a similar model for a decade, and question why anyone writes for a shared blog platform like Medium instead of owning their own domain.

An article on Medium regarding "tips for talking to trans people" is critiqued for its use of the term "cisgender." The host expresses frustration with being categorized into a group and argues that the rules for "allyship" often result in people being labeled as "assholes" regardless of their intentions.

A new trend in high-end restaurants involves servers asking for the specific "temperature" of meat rather than traditional doneness levels. The hosts find this practice annoying and pretentious, joking about bringing their own pocket thermometers to verify the exact degrees. They speculate this trend started in Los Angeles and is spreading to other major cities.