The Podslop Epidemic

PRESENTED BY VIKTOR

Happy Tuesday, Future Party. Yesterday was the Met Gala — essentially a halfway-to-Halloween celebration for celebrities. Invite-only tickets run about $100,000 each, according to Insider. So what does six figures get you? Appetizers, cocktails, dinner, and a surprise mini-concert.

What many people don’t realize, though, is that the guests aren’t the ones footing the bill. Tickets are typically purchased by brands or fashion houses, which then extend invitations to their chosen attendees… as long as Anna Wintour signs off.

GameStop made an unsolicited $56 billion offer to take over eBay.

The Big Picture: GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen — a hero to the Reddit-powered retail-investor crowd — rode the meme-stock wave to revive the struggling game seller and steer it back toward its former glory. But his ambitions have always been much bigger, so setting his sights on eBay (which started with building a 5% stake in the company earlier this year) is part of his alleged master plan to turn GameStop into an Amazon competitor in the e-commerce space.

Behind The Offer: Can Cohen kick off another stonk surge with a bid for eBay?

Closing Thoughts: With an eBay acquisition, Cohen hopes to supercharge what both companies have recently pivoted toward — selling collectibles and other nostalgia-driven items. He’s floated the idea that GameStop’s physical stores could complement eBay’s e-commerce operation by transforming brick-and-mortar locations into places where customers can “collect and authenticate items from eBay sellers.” In that sense, it sounds more like GameStop would compete with StockX than Amazon.

Prediction: GameStop may not be able to pull off an eBay acquisition, but expect its stock to get a nice boost as fans rally behind it. Here comes GameStonk 2.0.

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It’s not just you — there’s been an explosion of AI-generated podcasts this year.

Why It Hurts: AI is disrupting various entertainment formats at different levels, but podcasts have always seemed engineered to be the easiest to replicate — it’s just audio. As streaming platforms become flooded with AI-generated shows, it may become harder for users to tell what’s real.

Between The Ears: According to Bloomberg, we’re entering the age of “podslop.”

Last Listen: Currently, the major audio streaming services don’t have robust protections against the rise of podslop. On Apple, creators simply have to disclose that AI was used and that the content isn’t misleading. Spotify, meanwhile, just requires that creators aren’t deceptive. But Bloomberg notes that things get trickier when advertising enters the picture. iHeartMedia’s Spreaker allows AI-generated shows to monetize through its programmatic ad marketplace, while competitor RSS.com does not.

Soon, where you listen to your podcasts may determine how much podslop you encounter.

The Future: Prepare for brands to put added pressure on streaming services and podcast networks to keep their ads off AI-generated content… which may prove difficult to enforce.

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60% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Have you read any of The Chronicles of Narnia books?

“Each one many times growing up, and then multiple times to my children.”

“Love them. Have read them several times. The Magician’s Nephew was one of my favorites.”

“One of the only sets of books I read as a kid.”

“I loved the books as a kid when they were pure fantasy, but I have mixed feelings as an adult now that I’m aware of the underlying religious allegory.”

“I wanted to like them sooo bad as a kid! I was in love with the 2005 movie, but every time I tried to read the books, I found them too boring. I tried again as an adult, and I think they were never really going to be as interesting to me as Tilda Swinton’s White Witch.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join Poll Of The Day, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🏀 The WNBA’s Indiana Fever is now worth $470 million after drafting star Caitlin Clark — up from $90 million prior to the 2024 draft.

⚾ The Savannah Bananas packed 102,000 fans into Texas A&M’s Kyle Field, setting a new attendance record.

🎮 Sony has settled a digital-gaming lawsuit that could pay out $7.8 million to affected PS5 owners.

🤖 The Pentagon has struck AI deals with xAI, OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, and startup Reflection — in a snub to Anthropic.

📱 Apple plans to introduce “Create a Pass” in Wallet, allowing users to build custom digital tickets and gift cards.

🐕 Roomba creator Colin Angle has found his next project — a dog-sized robot called “Familiar.”

✈️ Spirit Airlines is grounded for good after 34 years of operation.

🧢 New Era debuted a capsule collection with filmmaker Spike Lee to commemorate its 30th anniversary.

👖 Raw denim is the hottest thing in fashion again… at least in the world of men’s pants.