Plain English with Derek Thompson

Thanksgiving Mega-Pod: Bob Iger’s Power Grab, SBF’s Scandal, and Elon Musk’s Omnishambles

Nov 22, 2022

Matt Belloni, a sharp writer for The Ringer and Puck, joins the discussion on a turbulent week in media and tech. They dissect Bob Iger's surprising return to Disney, analyzing the implications for streaming strategies and the industry at large. The conversation takes a turn to the FTX scandal and the concept of effective altruism, reflecting on Sam Bankman-Fried's controversial actions. Belloni’s insights provide a fascinating lens on the evolving media landscape and the high stakes involved in corporate leadership during uncertain times.

01:28:51

Episode guests

Matt Belloni

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

3min

The Tech Boom and Its Reckoning

5min

Leadership Shifts in Disney

13min

Disney's Strategic Shift in a Post-Pandemic World

21min

Challenges and Opportunities in Sports League Ownership

2min

Exploring Disney's Past and the Fallout of FTX

5min

The Evolution and Controversies of Effective Altruism

27min

The Paradox of Altruism: Analyzing SBF

10min

Today’s episode is a Thanksgiving feast of corporate scandal and media gossip. Derek kicks things off with a big-picture theory for why everything in tech and media seems to be falling apart at the same time. Then, we turn to the corporate shocker of the week: Bob Iger stunned the entertainment and media world by announcing his return to Disney as CEO, not even three years after the coronation of his hand-picked replacement, Bob Chapek. Matt Belloni of The Ringer and Puck joins to respond to some hot takes about the future of the streaming wars and the Mouse. Then, Derek revisits the FTX scandal. We're joined by Matthew Yglesias, author of the Slow Boring newsletter, to take a fresh look at the downfall of Sam Bankman-Fried by analyzing the philosophy he supported, or at least claimed to support: effective altruism.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guests: Matthew Belloni and Matthew Yglesias

Producer: Devon Manze

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