For those that didn't click the link, this is an Op-Ed in the Washington Post penned supposedly by Jeff Bezos himself.
He talks about the decline in trust from the public for the MSM in general.
He talks about the difference between a loss of trust in the veracity of a MSM news source vs the perception that a source is biased or untrustworthy.
He claims that this is somewhat the basis that the WaPo isn't doing political endorsements this year and probably shouldn't be in general for perceived bias.
He claims that his employees from his associated businesses like Amazon and Blue Origin meeting with government officials on a regular basis creates "complexities" when it comes to the neutrality of his flagship paper.
He also claims that he has never used his personal influence in his position as owner to lean on the editorial board to benefit himself and his businesses personally.
He shits on unverified sources and social media for being misinformation and untrustworthy.
In the end, beyond canceling this year's Presidential endorsement, he offers no actual solutions beyond "journo-ing harder" to win back trust.
---‐---------
Step 1 to winning back trust is to admit that you've been lying all along in the first place.
There can be no absolution without that contrition.
I feel like this relationship "needs an alignment".
It also demonstrated that there is no order too vile for a government foot soldier to fail to comply & complete all in service to maintaining the continuity of his relatively measly pay & pension.
I do wonder though, in terms of longform podcast appearances for politicians, who is this for?
I didn't watch the Rogan interview but I have seen the Theo Von one in its entirety (with Trump not Vance).
I wasn't that impressed with the Theo Von conversation in terms of format or substance. A lot of time was devoted to discussing Trump’s brother Fred (who I didn't know existed) and Theo elaborating on his own demons.
Again, I wonder politically who these longform podcasts are for.
Normie undecideds aren't going to consume 1-3 hours of a podcast unless they are already a fan of the host (Rogan & Von do have big audiences).
Is this more about mobilizing your own decided base to go out and vote by humanizing yourself?
Sargon had an impromptu YT stream on his own channel this evening as monetization was allowed back on his Sargon of Akkad channel without warning after 5 years in the phantom zone.
Again, for posterity, someone on Blonde's Twitter asked if there was any hope of burying the hatchet with Matt.
Her answer: Never
Apparently she did at least watch some of Matt's Sunday call-in stream where for 4 hours, he had "his balls licked" by "gay minorities" dumping on her.
She was also upset Matt leaked their texts and subsequently implied that he cropped out some of her replies that changed the narrative.
Edit: I, Hypocrite (Lyndon Perry) covered the drama on Monday on his Rumble show The Daily Cope. After he watched the segment of Matt's stream where he showed some of their texts, Perry surmised by the cropping that Matt had edited out some of his own unfavorable responses.
Blone seems to confirm this fact in this tweet, alleging that Matt left out his own reply forbidding her from appearing in HIS CHAT during his Sunday show once she declined to join him on stream for a final show.
Blonde implies she hoped that they'd end things on mutually vague Twitter posts and leave it at that. She states that she released her statement Saturday to get ahead of the narrative once she got the feeling Matt was going to frame things his own way, release texts and box her out from replying.
She also implies that she has "10 years worth of mutually assured destruction" messages she could make public herself, but doesn't think that could be right and just wants this to be over.
She also makes reference to the audience basing their opinions on "10 years worth of carefully crafted personas", implying Matt is much different behind the scenes IRL.
For posterity, Blonde tweeted today archive that her 50/50 split from the show was just over 40k for '22 an '23.
This is interesting context considering Matt was making 144k/yr for the time he was with Tenet media, which would be 3.5x more.
The Matt & Blonde show only grossing 80k annually (after YT's cut) is lower than I would've expected.
I can't imagine that Matt's solo YT vids with a few tens of thousands of views make much either.
It's pretty hard to live off 40k a year for 8-9 years with a wife, two kids and a mortgage without another side hustle.
I recall a few years back when Matt made an on-air veiled threat that he would "go get a real job to support my family" if listener support didn't improve.
The old xancel.com one still doesn't work on 2nd try but the new nitter.poast one does.
Thanks!
I don't think the Matt & Blonde breakup has anything to do with Tenet media or the Russians.
Beyond the fact that Matt's 144k/yr magic windfall for doing the exact same content he was already doing for YT shekels went boom.
So his sudden paycut from the glowies made him turn his guns towards his lazy female cohost to try to claw 10% of the revenue that she probably didn't deserve in the first place.
Then she said "I'm out", and he acted like a beta boyfriend bitching about it for 4 hours on stream for superchat bucks.
"I hear that the new British PM is also Indian"
This post is two years old.
Which means the situation in Canada is about 3 million jeets worse.
Interesting premise of digitized knowledge disappearing because of early obsolescence, high turnover and high upkeep costs.
The thread sort of spins off on unrelated tangential topics such as the devaluation of experience in the labor force, consumerism and the death of Adult Contemporary music.
He also doesn't really provide any potential solutions considering he's humblebragging of achieving FIRE through data storage solutions.
Your xcancel Nitter link is broken for me.
Direct link worked though.
Robert Barnes is still running interference for his e-lawyer scumbag friend Nick Rekieta who neglected his 5 children and had his 9 y/o daughter test positive for cocaine.
The top New story on the feed is a 61 y/o UK grandfather dying in prison after being sentenced to 2+ years in jail for holding a "Deep State" placard at a migrant hotel clash.
I like your sentiment, but our side quickly abandons and forgets its martyrs.
The handwritten thank you notes is a nice touch.
I do still respect Matt's consistency & hustle.
Though like all YTubers who complain about having "No Time" despite only a few public facing hours a week, I do wonder what they specifically do all week behind the scenes compared to your average wage slave job.
OTOH, it was interesting to watch a robot review classic movies that you enjoyed where they themselves are completely devoid of nostalgia.
It reminded me of excitedly showing a buddy in grad school Zoolander for the first time. A beloved meme classic from high school somehow turned into 90 minutes of awkward silence a decade later.
I think that's pretty unfair, though. I think that's legitimately who Matt is, and he's shown that for years. And it's why people like him. Hell, that he was giving her an even split shows that he really values those around him, and that does include the chat.
You are conflating Matt's reverence for his audience with his passiveness/cowardice with his business dealings with his podcast partner.
He admitted tonight that the OG 50/50 split on debut in 2016 was because they started the project on equal footing.
Matt has always done more of the work. That hasn't changed recently.
The problem, much like one caller pointed out, was that his demands were reasonable in a vacuum, but the actual execution sucked.
You can't suddenly demand a change of terms after 8 years with your founding partner while giving no concessions/sweeteners, even if circumstances have changed.
It's doubly idiotic to introduce fundamental changes in the midst of a chick fight over absenteeism.
And some people seem to be taking advantage of the drama to try to act like it was Blonde's edgy takes that were the problem, when it was an integral part of the show. I hope he doesn't let these people lead him away from edgy content.
I've commented a few times in the thread, but I'm definitely redpilled at how much pearlclutching there was over Blonde's racism/white nationalism/Nazism etc in the Twitter threads and the chat tonight.
There was way too much "Yay, the evil bigot lady is finally gone" for what's supposedly a based podcast. I thought the racism was supposed to be not a bug but a feature.
Maybe his audience has morphed into more centrist christcucks while I've been away. There were way too many "Me and my wife love you Matt!" chats, no balance and hardly anyone telling Matt that he fucked up, even a little.
Same.
I only checked Rumble but I didn't really come across any Matt alogs at all.
The only one was a drunk guy claiming Matt's YT mods banned him 4 years ago.
I didn't think Matt came off well tonight in his elaboration on his side of the story, though I'm biased and pro-Blonde.
His explanation regarding his skepticism re: missing their last show together and her seeking medical care for her sprained foot came off as a chud with his "We always go live together unless we're dead" meme.
He also was weasely with his "ultimatum that wasn't an ultimatum but I won't negotiate" circuitous arguments.
Essentially, he says that their business and friendship is ultimately irreparable because of the "betrayal" of her making a Twitter post when he said No. Which is middle school level drama.
He also heavily leaned on the whole "I appreciate everyone of you audience members and I'll never let you down/keep working hard for you, I consider all you callers friends" narratives.
Which to me, came off as wooden and disingenuous, but likely a ploy to circle the wagons of his paypigs. Which seemed to have been successful.
I admittedly haven't watched live in a long time.
I was aware of his Bible Study classes but have never heard him self-describe as a Christian.
I watched Matt's stream on Rumble.
I haven't watched Matt & Blonde in a long time.
The Rumble chat was pretty much 100% pro- Matt and way more normie-pilled than I remember. Same with all the callers except one guy who mildly pushed back on Matt denying an ultimatum was given or that he refused to compromise or counteroffer at all.
Disappointed tbh. I don't think his remaining audience is dissident or edgyboi enough to keep me around.
Matt is streaming his side right now.
- Rumble chat & callers are pretty much unanimously pro-Matt.
- Matt is on non-speaking terms with Blonde and expects it to be indefinite
- Matt plans on continuing Wed & Sat streams on his own, but no idea the format
- Matt was upset that Blonde informed him two hours before showtime Wed that she couldn't make it due to a presumed broken foot requiring an urgent care visit. He was resentful because he thought they had a pact to always show up for the stream "unless you're dead". He was pissed he had to do last minute show prep and stream alone. Her foot ended up being sprained, not broken. He thought it wasn't really an emergency and was annoyed when she ended up showing up at 9:10 pm EST asking to join the stream.
- Matt was annoyed , but they didn't talk for the next 48 hours because of his birthday and anniversary. She sent him a wall of texts on Saturday. He eventually got her on the phone. They talked about the future of their collaboration. Matt claims it wasn't an ultimatum, but he gave her "future terms" that at some point he wanted her to accept a new 60/40 split, to smile more and to be present for every minute of the show.
- Blonde took time & eventually counteroffered with the 55/45 split and more editorial control with choosing half the topics. Matt summarily rejected it, saying he wanted her to do more of her current work and couldn't trust her to do half his show.
- Blonde responded back at 10 pm MST, saying she was quitting but wouldn't '"smear him in a public statement". Matt asked her not to go public until the show tomorrow Sunday. Blonde proceeded to post her statement to Twitter.
- Matt says Blonde hasn't proposed any new topics/ideas to the show in ages.
- Matt says he should've nipped Blonde dipping out from the show early immediately at the time.
- Blonde approached Matt to resume the Wed show after the Tenet meltdown. Despite this, Blonde did no work for Wed and Matt prepped 100% of both.
- Matt claims never to have rejected a Blonde idea because there were never any proposed.
- Apparently a caller sent a wedding invitation to Matt. He didn't attend, but sent money.
- Matt feels the Twitter post was a fatal betrayal to their relationship/partnership. He didn't sleep last night.
- Matt claims if she'd showed tonight, they'd still be splitting 50/50.
- Matt is planning in the next week to reach out to all recurring subscribers to somehow outline a plan to make them whole.
- Matt got Dangerous Spaces / Tim in the divorce. He's working the call screener Discord tonight.
- Blonde's post-Tenet collapse idea to renew the show was an Internet Bloodsports revival with debates. She proposed it a few weeks ago but did no groundwork. She wanted to announce the new IBS and promote it on the show. Matt wouldn't let her until something was confirmed.
- Matt is doing a lot of simping to the audience: "I really appreciate all the years of support, I consider a lot of you callers friends, what Blonde did was disrespectful to you audience, she wouldn't come back to face you, etc"
- Matt seems to be claiming to be a new Christian. He claims this new occurrence is a "challenge from God" that he's looking forward to tackling.
- I may have missed a joke, but Matt insinuated that his current livestream studio was in his parents' house above their garage. He said his wife was with him there for the first 2 hours offstream as moral support.
- Matt says the Blonde experience has made him honestly leery to enter another business relationship with a woman.
- Matt showed some receipt texts as to their conversation Saturday that led to their cleavage. There was nothing particularly spicy.
- I saw several $100 superchats on Rumble alone, so the revenge stream was lucrative for Matt.
- Matt wants to keep Hoax Hate. Movie Reviews are gone. Plans new intro sounder. He had already commissioned several artists to make designs for new show merch that he will pay but can't sell.
- One of his sponsors superchatted in with support .
When the Tenet DOJ story broke, Matt claimed that he wasn't using any in-house Tenet resources other than a thumbnail guy.
Dangerous Spaces / Producer Tim used to be their call screener all month with the sole payment of having a dedicated call personally at the end of the calendar. I'm sure Matt paid him a small sum to actually help produce his new Tenet product, but Tim already proved he would work for very cheap.
The point of the newfound 12k/month in Tenet guaranteed money for a year the he didn't split 50/50 with Blonde was a windfall because it only required a single hour livestream a week and two videos that he was already producing anyway.
I can't elaborate on the lore intelligently or even recall the source (Tucker Carlson?), but my understanding is that even the Watergate reporting was a glowie op.
Supposedly the guy lauded for breaking the story was a rookie journo with a background in naval intelligence IIRC.
Apparently people in the know opine that there's no way the reporter could've developed the story organically.