What does the success of TikTok's algorithmically-driven product tell us about the future of creators and the creator economy, product design, and innovation within video?In this cross-over archive episode from our tech news podcast, 16 Minutes on the News, we go deep into the what, why, and how of TikTok's algorithm, which lies at the heart of the product and drives its "creativity network effects." The conversation features Eugene Wei (former head of product at Hulu, Flipboard, and video at Oculus), in conversation with host Sonal Choksi. This episode originally aired in September 2020, when there was talk of U.S. ownership/partnership for the American version of TikTok, which is from Chinese company ByteDance. 

Eugene Wei is one of my favorite thinkers, writers, and strategists in tech today. Having spent the majority of his professional career at consumer internet companies, Eugene started his career with a 7-year stint at Amazon with a focus on product. He then joined Hulu leading the product, design, editorial, and marketing teams. Post Hulu, Eugene co-founded Erly, later acquired by Airtime, and then joined Flipboard as Head of Product. Finally, Eugene's last position was with Oculus as Head of Video. You have to check out Eugene's blog and can find his writing here. In Today’s Episode with Eugene Wei You Will Learn: 1.) How Eugene made his way into the world of tech and startups with his first position at Amazon? What did Eugene do differently that made him stand out to the recruiters at Amazon? 2.) Decision-Making: Why does the process and medium by which decisions are made matter so much? How has Euegene's decision-making process changed over time? Where do many people go wrong in constructing and optimising their decision-making process? What are Eugene's biggest takeaways and lessons from Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs on messaging? 3.) The World of Social: What does Eugene believe is the graph design problem for so many social apps today? What does Eugene believe are the best and the worst design choices social media incumbents have made? How does Eugene encourage the next generation of consumer social founders to think through design decisions? 4.) Status as a Service: What does the concept of "Status as a Service" mean to Eugene? What is the biggest misunderstanding people have with the concept? What has fundamentally changed this concept in the last 2-3 years? How does the rise of crypto and NFT's impact the notion of "status as a service"? How does Eugene believe this will look in 10 years? 5.) The World of Media: How does Eugene think through the attention economy today? Why is media and content harder than ever today? Why does Eugene believe media has now become zero-sum? What does Eugene believe will be the future business model for media? Item’s Mentioned In Today’s Episode with Euegene Wei Eugene's Favourite Book: The Sound and the Fury, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

Li Jin and Eugene Wei, two experts in crypto and web2, discuss the future of status as a service, psychological ownership, and the ties between crypto and social. They explore the impact of algorithms on social media behavior, the evolution of social networks, and the need for new approaches in the crypto space. They also touch upon the concept of ownership in crypto social platforms and the blending of finance and social capital. This podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of web2 and web3.

Eugene Wei is a tech analyst and product veteran, with time spent inside Meta, Amazon, and Hulu. He joins Big Technology Podcast for a discussion of social media's longevity, considering how the decay of mainstay platforms changes the incentives to participate. Tune in for a in-depth discussion of social media's longterm trajectory, examining the TikTok algorithm, Threads, Twitter under Musk, and the puzzling persistence of Facebook. In the second half, listen to an engaging lightening round, where Wei comments on the state of his former employers and his longtime friendship with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.

Writer and technologist Eugene Wei joins Dan, Erik and Antonio to talk about Twitter, Threads, and his views on remote work. We reference Eugene's writing a lot on the podcast and mentioned his recent piece, How to Blow Up a Timeline in last week's MoZ episode with Mike Solana (see links below). Listeners, if you're looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: netsuite.com/zenMoment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.coWe're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.LINKS REFERENCED:Eugene Wei, How to Blow Up a Timeline https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2023/7/6/how-to-blow-up-a-timelineAmerican Prometheus https://www.amazon.com/American-Prometheus-Triumph-Tragedy-Oppenheimer/dp/0375726268TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Episode preview(01:03) Algorithm switch at Twitter(07:10) What Eugene would do as Twitter’s CEO(11:30) Signal to noise ratio in social media(22:00) Threads(37:35) Sponsor: NetSuite(38:50) LinkedIn(47:00) Improving Twitter: Ranked follower feed, restoring aristocracy, reversing war on Substack(1:10:00) Incumbents vs upstarts in social media(01:14:40) Graph portability(01:20:00) Centralization vs Decentralization of the space(01:25:00) UI analysis of Twitter vs. Discord vs. Slack vs Threads(01:30:00) Impact of Slack and minimizing meetings on the workplace(01:35:00) The downstream costs of remote work(01:49:30) Why tech is the worst industry to model out the effects of remote work(01:51:00) Office layout and productivityTWITTER:@eugenewei (Eugene)@dwr (Dan)@eriktorenberg (Erik)@antoniogm (Antonio)@moz_podcastSPONSOR:Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months.SHOPIFY: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial periodShopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/momentofzenNETSUITE: NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.