Chris Hayes

So most politicians, they want positive attention. And if they can't get positive attention, they want no attention. And then underneath that, negative attention, right? So it's like you want people to like you and know your name or you want to stay out of the news, right? And what Trump realizes that, no, it doesn't matter whether it's positive or negative as long as you're getting attention.

Musk has now taken this insight to actually having captured a platform that he purchased where he is now operationalizing this at scale. So it's like the higher synthesis of the insight of Trump. He's understood that attention is the most valuable resource. And this is true in monetary terms. I mean, look at what's happened in this. I actually get wrong in the book because I can't.

Musk has now taken this insight to actually having captured a platform that he purchased where he is now operationalizing this at scale. So it's like the higher synthesis of the insight of Trump. He's understood that attention is the most valuable resource. And this is true in monetary terms. I mean, look at what's happened in this. I actually get wrong in the book because I can't.

Musk has now taken this insight to actually having captured a platform that he purchased where he is now operationalizing this at scale. So it's like the higher synthesis of the insight of Trump. He's understood that attention is the most valuable resource. And this is true in monetary terms. I mean, look at what's happened in this. I actually get wrong in the book because I can't.

I was writing it too early. Look what happened. He buys Twitter, okay? He buys it for $44 billion. So he gets it so he could be the main character on this. He so obsessively pursues this attention that it destroys the actual value of the entity. So lighting $25 billion on fire, right? All in this sort of broken pursuit of attention.

I was writing it too early. Look what happened. He buys Twitter, okay? He buys it for $44 billion. So he gets it so he could be the main character on this. He so obsessively pursues this attention that it destroys the actual value of the entity. So lighting $25 billion on fire, right? All in this sort of broken pursuit of attention.

I was writing it too early. Look what happened. He buys Twitter, okay? He buys it for $44 billion. So he gets it so he could be the main character on this. He so obsessively pursues this attention that it destroys the actual value of the entity. So lighting $25 billion on fire, right? All in this sort of broken pursuit of attention.

But then using this attention and using the platform, he helps elect a president who puts him essentially at the seat of power, right? that produces an enormous boon in his personal wealth because people are like, oh, now he is close to power. And it has netted him hundreds of billions of dollars in his personal value. And it's the most incredible allegory for the entire attention age.

But then using this attention and using the platform, he helps elect a president who puts him essentially at the seat of power, right? that produces an enormous boon in his personal wealth because people are like, oh, now he is close to power. And it has netted him hundreds of billions of dollars in his personal value. And it's the most incredible allegory for the entire attention age.

But then using this attention and using the platform, he helps elect a president who puts him essentially at the seat of power, right? that produces an enormous boon in his personal wealth because people are like, oh, now he is close to power. And it has netted him hundreds of billions of dollars in his personal value. And it's the most incredible allegory for the entire attention age.

Here are these two guys, Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who seem to recognize more than anyone that attention is the most valuable resource and that you should do whatever you can to pursue it, even if that means acting like a maniac. And it's kind of worked for both of them.

Here are these two guys, Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who seem to recognize more than anyone that attention is the most valuable resource and that you should do whatever you can to pursue it, even if that means acting like a maniac. And it's kind of worked for both of them.

Here are these two guys, Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who seem to recognize more than anyone that attention is the most valuable resource and that you should do whatever you can to pursue it, even if that means acting like a maniac. And it's kind of worked for both of them.

Yeah, I mean, I think, so the first thing I would say is that the cause for optimism, which I have some, is that I feel this is pretty untenable and unsustainable because I think the sense of exhaustion and alienation is so ubiquitous and profound that I don't think it can keep going that way. And actually, I think that there's unbelievable latent energy for something different than what this is.

Yeah, I mean, I think, so the first thing I would say is that the cause for optimism, which I have some, is that I feel this is pretty untenable and unsustainable because I think the sense of exhaustion and alienation is so ubiquitous and profound that I don't think it can keep going that way. And actually, I think that there's unbelievable latent energy for something different than what this is.

Yeah, I mean, I think, so the first thing I would say is that the cause for optimism, which I have some, is that I feel this is pretty untenable and unsustainable because I think the sense of exhaustion and alienation is so ubiquitous and profound that I don't think it can keep going that way. And actually, I think that there's unbelievable latent energy for something different than what this is.

There are ways that attention can still be bought and sold that isn't this particular to the second algorithmic infinite scroll that we're all now trapped in. Right. So I think you are going to see flourishing of alternate means. And you see this, I mean, again, Substack, right? Like the long form newsletter, we're seeing it happen. Like Substack is growing exponentially.

There are ways that attention can still be bought and sold that isn't this particular to the second algorithmic infinite scroll that we're all now trapped in. Right. So I think you are going to see flourishing of alternate means. And you see this, I mean, again, Substack, right? Like the long form newsletter, we're seeing it happen. Like Substack is growing exponentially.

There are ways that attention can still be bought and sold that isn't this particular to the second algorithmic infinite scroll that we're all now trapped in. Right. So I think you are going to see flourishing of alternate means. And you see this, I mean, again, Substack, right? Like the long form newsletter, we're seeing it happen. Like Substack is growing exponentially.

Because people do want to like read long things from people that they think are interesting and not just algorithmic serving of short form video. That's a different model. It's a for profit model, but it's a different model and I think a better one and one that's less extractive and alienating for our attention. You know, vinyl records were completely supplanted by cassette tapes and then CDs.