Going Direct Conversations

#64 Simon Owens: Business Of Content, $100 Billion Middlemen, & Future of Media

I sit down with Simon Owens, an independent media industry journalist and specialist on the business of content. Simon breaks down the “Ozempic Effect” in AI-Generated content, why the “creator economy” is just the economy, middlemen in online advertising, and the future of monetizing content. If you want to understand how to build a media business today, you will enjoy this episode. Enjoy. Recording date: May 6th 2026 Chapters 00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk] Introduction 03:43 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=223s] The Business Of Content 08:38 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=518s] Misunderstanding The Creator Economy 10:54 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=654s] Depth Over Scale 13:54 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=834s] Changing Economics Of Media 16:51 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=1011s] The Ozempic Effect With AI-Generated Content 21:13 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=1273s] Scarcity In An AI-Driven World 24:16 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=1456s] Simon's System for Writing 5 Days a Week 27:56 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=1676s]Middleman Economy in Advertising 37:28 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=2248s] Challenges With Gatekeepers In The Ad Model 46:33 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=2793s] Creators As Infrastructure 50:44 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=3044s] Legacy Media 52:57 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPMutwL3Mk&t=3177s] Rapid Fire Follow Jordan on X: * https://x.com/jrwolfe [https://x.com/jrwolfe] Connect with Simon Owens: * Newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/ [https://simonowens.substack.com/] * Website: https://www.simonowens.net/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-owens-77030514/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-owens-77030514/] * The Business of Content Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-of-content-with-simon-owens/id1339451218 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-of-content-with-simon-owens/id1339451218] * YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/nomissnewo [https://www.youtube.com/user/nomissnewo] Remember to go direct! Jordan P.S. Build with love This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goingdirect.substack.com [https://goingdirect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

#63 Duncan Young: Jobs Are Dead. Long Live The $10 Million Niche.

I sit down with Duncan Young to discuss an essay he recently published on Substack that went a bit viral: “Jobs are dead, long live the $10 million niche.” Duncan explains why AI is coming for repetitive tasks rather than the work itself, why mid-career professionals are facing an existential crisis, and why building your own ladder is now a far better bet than climbing a corporate one. Enjoy. Recording date: May 4, 2026 Chapters 00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA] Introduction 03:38 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=218s] Duncan's Background 07:42 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=462s] Writing With AI 11:18 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=678s] First Job Compression: Industrialization 14:05 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=845s] Second Job Compression: Great Offshoring 22:57 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=1377s] AI Came For the Margin, Not The Work 25:47 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=1547s] Building A Ladder vs Climbing One 32:17 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=1937s] Math Behind The $10 Million Niche 40:29 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=2429s] Building Relationships Over Margins 42:10 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=2530s] Leveraging AI To Build Direct Distribution 44:06 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=2646s] Two Doors: Build Your Own vs Build Inside 49:34 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=2974s] Shift From Hierarchies To Platforms 56:20 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=3380s] Decentralized Business Ownership 01:00:16 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=3616s] Four Levers Of Internal Entrepreneurship 01:05:13 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3xwM-5cHA&t=3913s] Rapid Fire Follow Jordan on X: * https://x.com/jrwolfe [https://x.com/jrwolfe] Connect with Duncan: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncanmayoung/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncanmayoung/] * Substack: https://substack.com/@saorsapartners [https://substack.com/@saorsapartners] * Jobs Are Dead. Long Live the $10 Million Niche Article: * Human Scale Article: Remember to go direct! Jordan P.S. Build with love This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goingdirect.substack.com [https://goingdirect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

#62 Brian Morrissey: The Great Decentralization of Media & New Media Energy

I sit down with Brian Morrissey, and independent journalist and the founder of The Rebooting, to discuss a recent piece he wrote called, “New Media Energy” and our transition to a truly decentralized media landscape where the legacy media gatekeeper is no longer relevant. Among the topics we discuss are: • “New Media Energy” vs the unearned authority of legacy media • Why VCs are building their own media networks • Axios Local and the “Business in a Box” model for journalists • The most overrated and underrated platforms today If you want to understand where the media industry is heading, you will enjoy this episode. Enjoy. Recording date: April 27, 2026 Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:20 Brian’s Background & Digiday 03:42 Leaving Institutional Media And Going Independent 09:40 Defining New Media 16:17 Rise Of Citizen Journalism 18:52 Future Of Media And Information Ecosystems 23:06 Dichotomy Of Decentralization And Centralization 27:19 Prediction Markets & Hidden Media Incentives 30:54 Shift From Institutions To Individuals In Media 32:20 TBPN & The Trade Magazine Model 36:53 The Rise Of Direct Expertise In Media 41:40 AI Content & Synthetic “Slop” 49:05 Business In A Box For Local Media: Axios Local 56:31 Rapid Fire Follow Jordan on X - https://x.com/jrwolfe [https://x.com/jrwolfe] Connect with Brian Morrissey: - Website: https://www.therebooting.com/ [https://www.therebooting.com/] - The Rebooting Show: https://www.youtube.com/@The_Rebooting-g4c [https://www.youtube.com/@The_Rebooting-g4c] - People versus Algorithms Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@peoplevsalgorithms [https://www.youtube.com/@peoplevsalgorithms] - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmorrissey/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmorrissey/] - Substack: https://therebooting.substack.com/ [https://therebooting.substack.com/] Remember to go direct! Jordan P.S. Build with love This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goingdirect.substack.com [https://goingdirect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

#61 INSIDE GOING DIRECT: What, “Going Direct” Actually Means

I sit down with Rafik Kheffache, founder of Heliosand, for our first-ever in-person episode in Paris. This was a different kind of episode where Rafik asks me to pull back the curtain on Going Direct - why I started it, what I actually believe, and where it’s all going. Over the past year, I’ve had 50+ conversations with founders, engineers, and builders working on decentralized production, AI infrastructure, and the future of the real economy. This one was about connecting the dots and honestly, just have some fun over a few glasses of whiskey. It’s part philosophy, part story, part rant. Enjoy. Recording date: March 31, 2026 Chapters 00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8] Introduction 01:18 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=78s] Going Direct Podcast Adventure 14:39 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=879s] Geopolitics and Decentralization 24:47 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=1487s] Heliosand Is Turning Garbage Into Gold 32:31 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=1951s] Why Decentralization Is So Important 37:48 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=2268s] Doing Business In Europe As An American 42:14 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=2534s] The Minitel, Concorde, And Failed Innovation In France 46:04 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=2764s] The French VC Scam & Work Culture 55:21 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=3321s] French Lifestyle Is Pretty Damn Good 01:05:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=3900s] Trading Bitcoin In Switzerland 01:08:29 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=4109s] Is Elon Musk The Riches Men In The World? 01:17:33 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=4653s] Simulation Theory 01:26:54 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=5214s] Money = Freedom 01:41:30 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=6090s] Incident With The French CIA (DGSE) 01:46:34 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=6394s] French vs American Cultural Differences 01:53:34 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=6814s] Bridge Building Between The US And France 02:00:09 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izGprIZWm8&t=7209s] Importance Of Community And Relationships Follow Jordan on X: * https://x.com/jrwolfe [https://x.com/jrwolfe] Connect with Rafik: * Heliosand – https://heliosand.com/ * LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafik-kheffache/?locale=en [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafik-kheffache/?locale=en] * X – @KheffacheR62805 [https://x.com/KheffacheR62805] Remember to go direct! Jordan P.S. Build with love This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goingdirect.substack.com [https://goingdirect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

#60 Aleks Gampel: America Needs High Quality, Affordable Homes

I sit back down with Aleks Gampel, the co-founder and COO of Cuby, to talk about why construction has become less productive over time, why skilled labor shortages are getting worse, and why the current system still relies on fragmented crews and outdated methods. Cuby’s answer is to build mobile micro-factories that produce home components close to where the homes are actually being built. Among the topics we discuss are: * Why construction productivity has gotten worse since the 1950s * Why construction is really a logistics problem * Cuby’s proposed solution - Mobile Micro-Factories (MMFs) * Eliminating middlemen through vertical integration * Launching the first Cuby micro-factory in New Mexico Enjoy. Recording date: April 08, 2026 Chapters 00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As] Introduction 03:50 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=230s] Revisiting The Bottlenecks In Housing Construction 06:04 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=364s] Why Construction Has Regressed Over 60 Years 09:32 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=572s] Non-Obvious Problems In The Construction Industry 11:26 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=686s] Cuby's Approach To Housing 14:03 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=843s] Building High-Quality, Affordable Housing 19:16 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=1156s] Cuby's Mobile Micro-Factory Progress 23:22 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=1402s] Deploying The First Factory In The US 27:16 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=1636s] The Going Direct Economy 35:48 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=2148s] Applying The Toyota Production System To Construction 37:38 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=2258s] Coordination vs Control 41:10 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=2470s] Eliminating Middlemen 43:03 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=2583s] Regulatory Maze & Zoning Codes 45:43 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDzsr2W-As&t=2743s] Future Plans And Rapid Fire Follow Jordan on X * https://x.com/jrwolfe [https://x.com/jrwolfe] Connect with Aleks Gampel: * LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamaleksandrgampel/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamaleksandrgampel/] * Cuby – https://cubytechnologies.com/home [https://cubytechnologies.com/home] * X - https://x.com/buildwithcuby?lang=en [https://x.com/AGampel1] Remember to go direct! Jordan P.S. Build with love This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goingdirect.substack.com [https://goingdirect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]