Challenges of the ROT Economy in Tech

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The chapter delves into the concept of the ROT economy, focusing on perpetual growth in the tech industry at the expense of user experience. It highlights examples from Facebook and Google where the emphasis on showcasing growth through manipulation of metrics can lead to a decline in user satisfaction. The discussion also explores the challenges faced by major social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram in terms of declining traffic, engagement, and the need to adapt to changing user preferences.

Big tech is betting tens of billions of dollars on AI being the next big thing, but what if it isn't? ChatGPT burns obscene amounts of cash daily with little return, Google's AI dispenses useless and sometimes dangerous advice, and a recent study showed that tech companies will soon run out of new training data to improve their AI models. If AI is really so costly, unreliable, and limited, what happens to the industry that has bet so big on it? This week, Adam talks with journalist and influential tech critic Ed Zitron of wheresyoured.at to discuss the impending burst of the AI bubble, the hubris of Silicon Valley, and how we suffer under big tech's "Rot Economy."

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