GoKawiilToday, I’m joined by comedian, podcast host, and YouTuber Adam Conover.
Adam is a familiar face to anyone who’s spent time on the internet. He got his start, like so many successful comedy writers, at CollegeHumor back in the day. That was before transitioning into cable TV with Adam Ruins Everything, then onto Netflix, and all the way back to YouTube again, where he posts videos and hosts a podcast called Factually!
That is exactly the kind of career path that fascinates me, and it also happens to touch on basically every major Decoder theme there is. You’ll hear upfront that Adam does not in fact like the word “creator” — he’s got a unique perspective on it that speaks to how he sees tech platforms and their leverage.
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We get deep into what Adam thinks really happened to the TV business — that Hollywood ceded whole categories of TV programming to YouTube in the chase to become Netflix and HBO.
Adam also pushes back on the idea that any of this was democratizing — YouTube, he argues, is in fact a worse gatekeeper than the networks, because you can’t actually argue or negotiate with a recommendation algorithm.
I think you’re really going to enjoy this conversation, I know I did. Remember to please subscribe to our YouTube channel for new episodes every Monday and Thursday.
Okay: comedian Adam Conover on YouTube, gatekeepers, and the business of making things online. Here we go.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Adam Conover, you’re a comedian, you’re a podcaster, you’re a YouTuber, you’re a board member on the Writers Guild of America West. I’m sure you have additional titles. Welcome to Decoder.
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