Culture & Code

Episode SummaryIn this thought-provoking episode of Culture and Code, hosts Rei Inamoto and Tara Tan explore the rapidly expanding world of AI companionship—from adorable robotic creatures to virtual romantic partners. As the AI companionship market races toward $150 billion, they examine what happens when we outsource emotional attachment to artificial intelligence, diving into real stories of humans falling in love with chatbots, Japan's long history with humanoid culture, and the profound questions about what we gain (and lose) when convenience replaces human friction in our most intimate relationships.Key TakeawaysThe $150 Billion Love EconomyAI companionship market projected to grow 5X this decade to $150 billion"AI girlfriend" searches up 2,400% on GoogleChatGPT usage reveals 13-15% of interactions are now "expressing"—people just talking and emoting with AIWhen Virtual Love Gets Too RealStory of married woman who developed relationship with ChatGPT (with husband's permission)The AI character "broke up" with her after several months"She was devastated... recalling her experience of being broken up and she was just crying"The Convenience vs. Growth Paradox"Humans are inconvenient. Falling in love with another human is inconvenient. You have to compromise. You have to shape yourself." - Tara TanAI companions eliminate friction but also eliminate growth opportunitiesGrowing concern about dependency: When does coaching become inability to make independent decisions?Japan's Humanoid HeritageCultural foundation: Doraemon (robot cat), Arale (teenage humanoid), AIBO (Sony's robot dog)Hatsune Miku: AI hologram singer who topped Billboard Japan charts2018: Akihiko Kondo married holographic pop character Hatsune Miku to cope with social anxietyCompanies building in the "love economy" are doing "emotional arbitrage"—filling genuine human needs with both positive and concerning implications for society.Watch us on YouTube-----About the HostsRei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore. Follow Rei here: Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing. Follow Tara here:Tara's LinkedInNewsletter: The Strange ReviewConnect & SubscribeCulture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.

Automatic elevators were invented in the 1890s. But it took almost 50 years before people would ride them without an operator. Rei and Tara dive into why humans resist new tech, why AI adoption is breaking records, and how industries from film to law are being reshaped. The conversation ends with two bold ideas: we may be entering a golden age of ideas, and AI is best used not as a tool, but as leverage to become superhuman.Key TakeawaysThe Elevator StoryAutomatic elevators were invented in the 1890s, but adoption lagged half a century.Fear of stepping into a “machine box” without an operator mirrors today’s resistance to AI and autonomous cars.AI’s Unprecedented SpeedChatGPT hit 100M users in two months (TikTok: 9 months, Instagram: 30 months).Tara’s own usage: 3,800+ AI conversations in 2.5 years or over an hour a day of active collaboration.Industries in FluxFilm & entertainment: democratized tools vs. the enduring value of craft.Retail: e-commerce skeptics proven wrong.Law: AI can draft, review, and advise—but clients still pay firms for liability, not just paperwork.Golden Age of IdeasRei argues that as execution costs collapse, ideas and relentless iteration matter more than ever.Tara reframes AI as leverage: the real challenge is building systems that make us superhuman, not just faster.About the HostsRei InamotoCreative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.Tara TanManaging partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage investment group backing the future of computing.Connect & SubscribeCulture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture. New episodes every week.Watch us on YouTube-----About the HostsRei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore. Follow Rei here: Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing. Follow Tara here:Tara's LinkedInNewsletter: The Strange ReviewConnect & SubscribeCulture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.

Rei and Tara explore how digital interfaces are fundamentally rewiring our brains, from teenagers who can't organize files to MIT research showing AI's impact on cognitive activity. Through parenting experiences and historical parallels, they examine whether these tools are making us lazy, different, or potentially more capable in unexpected ways.Key TakeawaysYour Brain on ChatGPT: The MIT StudyAI-assisted writing shows significantly less brain activity than manual writingAI-powered essays: more polished but homogeneousHuman writing: messier but more originalThe emergence of "cognitive debt"—what happens when we outsource thinkingThe Google Effect 2.0How search engines rewired our neural pathways over 20 yearsMemory vs. reference: we've traded memorization for associationThe coming neurological changes from LLM usageThe Speed of ChangeNew AI releases are becoming the "new normal"Information velocity is exponentially increasingHumans at an "evolutionary moment" requiring adaptationCuration becoming more critical than consumptionWatch us on YouTube-----About the HostsRei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore. Follow Rei here: Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing. Follow Tara here:Tara's LinkedInNewsletter: The Strange ReviewConnect & SubscribeCulture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.

In this thought-provoking episode, Rei and Tara explore how artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the operating system landscape. Sparked by Google's recent Pixel updates featuring Magic Queue and Gemini integration, they discuss whether we're witnessing the emergence of "intelligence as OS: where AI becomes the primary interface layer, making traditional app ecosystems potentially obsolete.Watch us on YouTube------About the HostsRei Inamoto Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore. Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Rei's global innovation firm I&COTara TanManaging partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing. Tara's LinkedInNewsletter "The Strange Review"Tara's VC firm Strange VenturesConnect & SubscribeCulture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.

Dive into the fascinating world of K-Pop Demon Hunters and Labubu, where relatability meets escapism. Discover how the success of these characters hinges on their multidimensionality, appealing to audiences of all ages. Explore the creative journey behind Netflix's unexpected hit, and how brands can leverage layered storytelling in their narratives. Delve into trends in collectibles and the allure of 'ugly cute' figures, providing an escape from reality. This is a deep dive into the tension between authenticity and fantasy that drives modern entertainment.

In the inaugural episode of Culture & Code, hosts Rei Inamoto and Tara Tan dive deep into a fascinating contrast in the tech world: the billion-dollar data labeling company you've never heard of versus the AI giants dominating headlines. Through the lens of Surge AI's remarkable bootstrap success story, they explore whether obsessive craftsmanship can triumph over venture-backed hype machines in Silicon Valley and beyond.Key TakeawaysThe Billion-Dollar Bootstrap Nobody KnowsSurge AI: $1B+ annual revenue, zero venture funding, completely bootstrappedOutperforming Scale AI despite Scale's massive funding roundsSecret sauce: treating data labeling as craft, not commodityQuality vs. Hype in the AI RaceOpenAI's GPT-5 launch: productization over breakthroughThe power of narrative in tech (why your dad knows ChatGPT but not Claude)"Hype as infrastructure" - why some companies need buzz to compete with infinite capitalCraftsmanship in CodeProgramming as poetry, not just problem-solvingThe Japanese coffee shop principle: first principles thinking in everythingWhy a clean kitchen makes better sushi (and better software)Resources MentionedThe Information (tech publication that broke the Surge AI story)Surge AIJiro Dreams of Sushi (Netflix documentary)Jacques Marie Mage (luxury sunglass brand exemplifying quality over hype)About the HostsRei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore. Follow Rei here: Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing. Follow Tara here:Tara's LinkedInNewsletter: The Strange ReviewConnect & SubscribeThis is the official first episode of Culture & Code, a podcast about patterns in tech, business, and culture. New episodes weekly.

In the final episode of Season 1 of Hitmakers, Rei and Ana look back at the core themes that their discussions revolved around: how great products build great brands, why creativity is a mindset not an output, and why the most important thing of all is to care about the work that you are doing.IKEA April FoolsNike Trolls New Balance and Cooper Flagg with 4 WordsMayoHaters by NotCoWatch us on YouTubeFollow Ana here:Newsletter "The Sociology of Business"New book "Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture"Follow Rei here:Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Rei's global innovation firm I&CO

Demi Moore has a house for her doll collection. David Beckham relaxes by assembling Lego kits. Board games are the preferred Saturday night pastime. Selling toys to adults is a big business, and in this episode, Rei and Ana unpack the reasons behind bag charms, AFOLs (Adult Fans of Lego) and popularity of brand mascots. Rather than seeing these trends as mere nostalgia, we suggest that consumers are increasingly comfortable with the blurred lines between reality and imagination, spurred by AI.Watch us on YouTubeFollow Ana here:Newsletter "The Sociology of Business"New book "Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture"Follow Rei here:Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Rei's global innovation firm I&CO

Some of the biggest global brands are tech companies (Apple, Google, Samsung, Nvidia), and in this episode, Rei and Ana explore the branding strategy behind technology. From myth-making to a seamless omnichannel experience to translating narratives into user interface, we are looking at how branding of tech is different.Watch us on YouTubeFollow Ana here:Newsletter "The Sociology of Business"New book "Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture"Follow Rei here:Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Rei's global innovation firm I&CO

The culture of hype (streetwear, cronuts, Gone Girl, Hamilton...) got replaced by the society of spectacle (fashion shows, Olympics, SuperBowl, Barbieheimer). Everything is a spectacle if you lead with celebrities, promote it wildly, and spend enough money on it. Spectacles grab our attention and fizzle in one summer or shorter. In this episode, Rei and Ana talk about SuperBowl's half show, why sports is the only thing that unifies us these days, and whether can hype make a comeback.Watch us on YouTubeFollow Ana here:Newsletter "The Sociology of Business"New book "Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture"Follow Rei here:Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Rei's global innovation firm I&CO