To filter for genuine talent, test if a candidate for a 'storyteller' role would accept a less glamorous title like 'copywriter'. This heuristic separates those obsessed with the craft of writing and structuring words for impact from those merely chasing the status of a trendy job title.
A 'Joe Rogan CEO' is a founder who can captivate audiences for hours in unscripted, long-form content. This rare ability creates a powerful 'reality distortion field' that attracts a vortex of talent, capital, and customers, an advantage that is nearly impossible to replicate with a marketing budget.
In a saturated media environment, hiring a 'storyteller' to generate more content is ineffective. True brand recognition comes from executing a single, memorable, high-impact campaign that captures mass attention, making it far more valuable than thousands of social media posts.
Once a business trend like hiring 'storytellers' is covered in The Wall Street Journal, its competitive advantage, or 'alpha,' is gone. Mainstream recognition signifies peak saturation, meaning innovative companies should already be focused on the next non-obvious strategy to gain an edge.
Contrary to claims of an AI bubble, the market is demonstrating rationality by punishing companies like Oracle and Broadcom for failing to meet AI-related expectations. This selective valuation indicates a discerning market that rewards performance over hype, not an indiscriminate bubble where any 'AI' stock soars.
Ford's massive write-down and scrapping of the F-150 Lightning signals a critical vulnerability in the EV market. The business case for many EVs has relied heavily on government subsidies and mandates, not standalone profitability. As these supports disappear, the weak underlying economics are forcing automakers into dramatic pivots.