The extremely online report: October 2024

A monthly digest of discourse, drama, and digital ephemera

Trying something new. As we hurtle toward what promises to be the most chronically online election in history, let’s take a breath and recap what happened in our corner of the internet this month.

The end of AI companies

“Runway is not an AI company,” declares CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela in what might be the longest tweet I’ve willingly read. His point? AI is becoming infrastructure, like electricity or the internet. “Calling yourself an AI company today is like calling yourself an internet company. It’s meaningless because it’s universal.” The focus should be on what we build with it. Or as they say: “Your performance is your prompt.”

The typography discourse nobody asked for

Mainstream media is talking about typography after Elon Musk showed up at MSG wearing a blackletter MAGA hat.

Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) on X

In the words of typography expert David Rudnick: 

When AI companionship goes wrong

Character.AI faces a wrongful death lawsuit after a 14-year-old user died by suicide following months of intense interaction with one of their chatbots. The case raises serious questions about AI safety and the ethics of marketing companionship apps to minors. As Delia Cai puts it: “It would be generous to say companies like Character.AI are delivering a badly warped imitation of connection; it is more accurate to liken their mission to printing reams of pixelated images of a hot meal to people who are starving.”

The write stuff

Paul Graham predicts we’re heading toward a world of “writes and write-nots” where AI handles most writing tasks. But writing isn’t just about stringing words together—it’s about thinking. (But also: Who is building the brain gym? Sign me up.) 💪

Is tech marketing good now? 

Humane’s latest ad cribs Charles and Ray Eames’ iconic Powers of Ten (1977), prompting Michael Miraflor to pose this question in his newly minted Substack.

From left to right: Humane, Eames, Humane, Eames, Eames, Eames

This is “one of the greatest marketing videos I’ve ever seen” tweets Aleks—prompting sharp outcry from those familiar with the source material. Open the schools.

Being terminally online is good, actually

Also via Michael: “Being extremely online is an important marketing (and business tbh) skill, and not everyone has the natural predisposition to be in it and to learn it.” Finally validation for being extremely online. Someone tell my boss.

In other news

• Marissa Mayer is a software girl (and not a feminist)

• Nike remembered how to make good ads (we’re so back?)

• Perplexity drops merch, sells out. “We want to use Perplexity Supply as a platform for artists and designers to make tangible things they wish existed,” says Phi. “Send me a sweatshirt,” says me.

• We’re calling those über popular arrangements of sardines, tomatoes, and martinis consumer fetishism. Now I need a new phone case.

• If you didn’t read NY Mag’s media piece, are you even part of the discourse? (With the option to go off record, wild to see what people went on record for.)

• USB Club remains inexplicable but compelling

Worth your time

• Tim Cook discovers people name their group chats

• People who use AI… lack the language… to describe… their experience using it…

• Young Gun Elizabeth Goodspeed on when AI text works:

• Writing Examples deconstructs writing, like how to describe a party like Fitzerald

• “AI is the new plastic” by Linus Lee,  Notion’s AI Editor at Large

• Kate Wagner on writing as practice

• RIP Lillian Schwartz

Pixillation (Lillian Schwartz, 1970)

Thank you! How’s my driving? Let me know.