I never got to meet any of the Vice bigwigs as a lowly contractor, but Shane Smith always seemed like a dick on TV. I thought maybe it was all part of Vice's punk aesthetic. Turns out...nope, just a dick. And dicks shouldn't be left in charge of anything.
I know someone who grew up with Smith and he's said that Smith has always been a dick. Guy I know was one of the first reporters for some of Vice's very first vids (VBS) and it's always burned him up a bit that Smith has become so wealthy.
I remember some of those early vids aka “What if we just wander around Chernobyl and hope something interesting happens, whoops, nothing happened, fuck it, put it out anyway, we paid for the tickets already”
This is a great piece, and I loved the line about the Chainsmokers. I don’t know that band at all but I imagine it fits so perfectly with the type of vultures that buy these outlets.
Following the names of some people in the comments. It's a real time capsule of people discussing the harm they caused, and a lot of "u mad bro" style stuff.
"The good stuff that Vice did was never a part of any business play. It was what workers did to amuse ourselves and each other, and because we liked to do it."
Bang on about EVERY thing a company puts out that's got value, these days.
I like your term “abstraction economy” - it captures how little care the vultures have for the real world, and any consequences there (especially for other people).
I have often used “extraction economy”, since it’s all about taking a piece of absolutely everything, in exchange for nothing.
Yeah, if anything I think your term is more to the point and apt, here. I had just been reading about some of the activist investor disputes at places like Disney and wondering what any of these guys were even trying to do, or what point they could possibly prove.
What drives me nuts about these guys is that they, too, have to live in the world they're creating. Wouldn't that be reason enough to avoid making everything, even the products and services they rely on as well, into a heap of garbage?
I use Wildcatter thinking, because there's also a roving sense of greed and expectation that *gestures everywhere* will provide immense wealth those found deserving by some kind of god, and to hell with any regulator or BUREAUCRAT getting in their way.
“Let’s remember some guys. Sid Fernandez, Kevin Millar, Sid Fernandez, Tito Landrum, Kevin Millar. Guys worth remembering, remnants of our time in America Pastime 🇺🇸.
Animal rendering is a good analogy for this economy. it feels like every company is tired of doing its core business and wants to render itself. Film studios want to be IRS welfare recipients, McDonald's wants to sell NFTs. Everything must become profit slurry.
Happened to listen to your appearance on @isaaceger.bsky.social's pod the other day talking about Vice. When you (sheepishly) asked @pblest.bsky.social if he was interested in Shane Smith's inner life it hit me that the fact that you (reluctantly) are is what makes your work on this stuff so good.
All the great mysteries intrigue me. But also while I don't really have any illusions about the guy there is a part of me that's curious about how he sleeps at night.
The things that Vice was good at are just not available elsewhere, or transferable, and it's insane to me that the business-knower class as a whole right now is rewarding itself for not understanding basic market segmentation.
"this is just what working is like—a series of discrete tasks of various social function that can be done well or less well, with more dignity or less, alongside people you care about or don't, all unfolding in the shadow of a poorly maintained dam." - ooof excellent writing
The coffee machine is such a singular reference here, but also I have derailed entire office buildouts because I happened to walk past something and say "Where's the drain for that faucet gonna go?" (I work in IT.)
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Bang on about EVERY thing a company puts out that's got value, these days.
I have often used “extraction economy”, since it’s all about taking a piece of absolutely everything, in exchange for nothing.
Plaid.
Mets death spiral down the guys remember?
Sid Fernandez.”