Influencer screenings aren’t going away
Influencer screenings aren’t going away

For a few days, it seemed like Universal decided that there would be no advanced screenings of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey for influencers. But on Monday, influencers sat alongside traditional critics and journalists at special showings of The Odyssey specifically for the associated press junket. Despite what it may have looked like, Universal was not […]

AI won’t save advertising, says Digitas’ Amy Lanzi
AI won’t save advertising, says Digitas’ Amy Lanzi

We’ve got a special Decoder today — I had the chance to talk with Amy Lanzi, the CEO of Digitas North America, in front of a live audience at the Uber Villa at the Cannes Lions advertising festival in the South of France. I know, it’s a hard gig, but I do it for you. […]

YouTube updates Shorts to make it even more like TikTok
YouTube updates Shorts to make it even more like TikTok

YouTube is adding even more TikTok-like features to Shorts, including a new “clear screen” mode that removes the icons and text from the video you’re watching. In a blog post on Thursday, YouTube says it’s also replacing the “thumbs-up” button with a “heart” icon, and is introducing a new option that lets you watch Shorts […]

Instagram wants to monopolize your attention
Instagram wants to monopolize your attention

This week, Instagram launched a series of new features for its smart TV app that are all designed to get people to spend more time on the platform through the biggest screens in their homes. In addition to vertical Reels, Instagram for TV – which is currently available for Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, and […]

UK staff at the foundation that runs Wikipedia seeks union recognition
UK staff at the foundation that runs Wikipedia seeks union recognition

UK-based staff at the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF), the nonprofit that supports Wikipedia, are pushing forward with their unionization drive. On Wednesday, the staff sent a letter to WMF management requesting the organization voluntarily recognize the union. “The WMF has undergone a period of significant change in recent months, escalating workers’ concerns over transparency, trust, and […]

Figma now has AI motion graphics and shader tools
Figma now has AI motion graphics and shader tools

Figma has revealed some new design and coding product updates at its annual Config conference that aim to help creatives “push their ideas further” and automate tedious tasks with AI. Part of this is a reimagined canvas that’s now optimized for full-stack development, according to Figma, bringing teams, AI agents, tools, and materials “together in […]

Patreon CEO Jack Conte on supporting artists in the AI slop era
Patreon CEO Jack Conte on supporting artists in the AI slop era

Today, I’m talking with Jack Conte, the CEO of Patreon. Jack last joined me on the show almost exactly five years ago, in the summer of 2021, and a lot has changed on the internet and in the creator landscape since then, so I was very excited to talk to him again, especially since his […]

Musician and YouTuber Hainbach on ‘Breath of the Wild’ and Swiss Army Knives
Musician and YouTuber Hainbach on ‘Breath of the Wild’ and Swiss Army Knives

Stefan Paul Goetsch, better known as Hainbach, is a German experimental composer, artist, and YouTuber who is perhaps most famous for making music with laboratory equipment and scientific instruments. He describes it as being like the “Dark Souls of synthesis.” Despite using “hard mode” production techniques that often rely on telephone line testing equipment and […]

The Onion’s rebooted InfoWars is coming July 2nd
The Onion’s rebooted InfoWars is coming July 2nd

The Onion’s InfoWars officially has a launch date: On July 2nd, the conspiracy network previously run by Alex Jones will return as a comedy and media platform. The reboot comes more than a year and a half after news broke that the satirical news site was working to acquire the property owned by Jones, a […]

Photoshop and Premiere now have AI assistants
Photoshop and Premiere now have AI assistants

Adobe’s plan to stick AI assistants into all of its Creative Cloud suite is now fully underway, with new chatbots now rolling out to its biggest editing and design apps. As part of a public beta launching today, Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, InDesign, and Frame.io now each have a bespoke AI Assistant that can be used […]