Why You Should Give Up On Your Dreams and More

Hello and happy Sunday!

Why Are Republicans Better at Making Money on the Internet?

Why are right-wing publications thriving in the attention economy while their left-leaning counterparts struggle? Evan Armstrong explores the differences between the two, revealing that conservative outlets have avoided reliance on social media for distribution and ads for monetization, resulting in stronger business models.

With intriguing insights into the digital media landscape, this article examines the successes of The Daily Wire, the failures of BuzzFeed, and the tactics that helped right-wing publications outperform their competitors. Don't miss out on this deep dive into the strategies that are reshaping the media industry.

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Why You Should Give Up On Your Dreams

Dreams can sometimes become obstacles that hinder our growth and happiness. In this article, Casey Rosengren explores the concept of "goal fusion" and how unworkable dreams can damage our lives and work.

Learn how to spot the signs of goal fusion and discover a three-step process for letting go of unworkable dreams, including confronting reality, diversifying your identity, and reconnecting with meaning. By doing so, you may find a new, more fulfilling relationship with your work and life.

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Does GPT-4 Know Me Better Than My Girlfriend?

Can GPT-4 know you? By giving GPT-4 access to his writings and Twitter feed, Dan managed to create an AI that performed surprisingly well in predicting his personality traits. It even did better than his girlfriend—and his mom.

This experiment raises questions about the potential of AI in understanding human psychology, mental health, and personal growth. Could this be the beginning of AI-driven personal self-discovery and improvements in scientific understanding of the mind?

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Experiences Won't Make You Happier Than Possessions

Is the modern truism that experiences bring more happiness than possessions actually true? Sasha Chapin challenges this widely accepted idea, arguing that it's based on simplistic surveys and overlooks the complexity of happiness.

He highlights that material possessions can provide smaller but more frequent boosts to our overall enjoyment, and that "experiential possessions" can give access to new experiences. Moreover, people are different, and what brings happiness to one individual might not have the same effect on another. Chapin concludes by encouraging readers to trust their own judgment and be aware that both materialism and thrill-seeking can lead to dead ends.

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Noise-Canceling Filters for the Internet are Coming

Get ready for a revolution in noise-canceling filters for the internet! Nathan Baschez explores the potential for using AI like GPT-4 to de-noise our digital information diets as effectively as noise-canceling headphones silence our physical surroundings.

With such AI filters, users could have personalized content recommendations tailored to their individual preferences, changing the way we interact with social media platforms. However, the excitement for this technology comes with concerns about exacerbating filter bubbles and fragmenting society even further. Are AI noise filters the future, and if so, what can we do to mitigate potential negative consequences?

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Succession Episode 7 Review

Hey there! As a fun addition to the Sunday Digest, Evan will be writing a mini-review for the final season of Succession. Each review will discuss the themes, writing, and dynamics of the show. 

Last week's episode of Succession subtly touched on one of my favorite subjects in finance. We witnessed Kendall and Roman attempting to leverage their political connections to thwart the GoJo takeover deal. Their strategy involves assembling a diverse group of influencers, policymakers, and “crypto-fascists” at an election eve tailgate party. Throughout the event, the brothers attempt to persuade their guests to support their cause in an effort to derail the deal. Their efforts are predictably unsuccessful with Kendall being told “you’re not Logan.” It also goes poorly because, you know, this is fairly illegal behavior by them.

Executives are expected to maximize shareholder value within the constraints of U.S. law. However, what behaviors are acceptable within these constraints is often ambiguous. This ambiguity recalls an argument made by renowned finance writer Matt Levine:

“An odd fact of the U.S. legal system for public companies is that every crime is also securities fraud: If a company does a bad thing, and regulators find out about it, then the bad-thing regulators can punish it for doing the bad thing, but the securities regulators can also punish it for not disclosing the bad thing to shareholders. . . . It is a strange combination: Generally speaking the companies do the bad things on behalf of shareholders—to make more money for them—but then the securities regulators come in and fine them for defrauding shareholders.”

In short: everything is securities fraud. There is a relatively narrow band of net-positive, non-sueable activity that a public company executive can do to improve their company’s performance. If you do something “bad”, which depending on your interpretation of U.S. security laws could be everything, then you will get sued.

Kendall and Roman, working to kill the deal, definitely reside in the village of SueMe. They are thrown a lifeline when it turns out that Mattson has been overstating his growth numbers (ironically, another thing that will definitely earn a shareholder lawsuit) but without that they really would’ve been in trouble. 

The episode's climax wasn’t the skirmish with the Swede, it was the knife fight between Tom and Shiv. Every relationship is a case of mutually assured destruction. The closer you become, the more of yourself you share, the easier time your partner will have hurting you. Shiv and Tom went all in. They jabbed every wound, every flaw, and said the things you can never unsay. Watching it put a pit in my stomach that didn’t go away for several hours. As much as I loved the business drama of this week, the human drama is what really drew me in. 

Before I wrap up, I would like to make several predictions about how this show will end:

1. The series finale will include Greg firing Tom
2. In tonight’s episode, the Roy Boys will try to do election denial on ATN so the Republican candidate will kill the deal 

If you think I’m totally off base, reply to this email and tell me what I’m missing.

One recommendation

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For a limited time, you can enjoy a 50% discount on Creative Doing with this link: Learn more

Herbert’s publisher, Holloway, offers another premium, expert-written guides on entrepreneurship, growth, and technology. As a reader of Every, you can access the Holloway catalog at a 25% discount here.

That's all for this week!