More or Less - Dave Morin, Jessica Lessin, Brit Morin, and Sam Lessin

Latest Episodes:

#102: Snap Spectacles, Build-A-Bear, and the Myth of the Everything App Jun 06, 2025

Show notes

This week on More or Less, we debate whether tech culture is unwatchable, why “Substacker” might be the last job standing, and if Build-A-Bear is secretly the next great AI company (move over, Nvidia). Plus: the real risks of self-driving Teslas on field trips, the myth of the “everything app,” and why the future just might be all about vibes. Come for the hot takes, stay for the man cave updates.Takeways: - The film 'Mountain Head' received mixed reviews, with some finding it unwatchable.- Substack's CEO predicts that 'substacker' will be one of the six main jobs in the future.- AI is expected to lower the cost of content creation, making it easier for creators to enter various industries.- The competitive nature of the content creation landscape. There is a significant barrier to entry regarding truth in the creator economy.- Authenticity is crucial for creators when launching products.- Build-A-Bear exemplifies how a brand can leverage AI for future growth.- Self-driving technology raises important safety and ethical questions, especially for children.- Investors are often driven by the potential for market cap expansion, thus creating the narrative of an "everything app"- The future of technology will likely involve more personalized and specialized solutions.We’re also on ↓X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspodInstagram: https://instagram.com/moreorlessSpotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspodConnect with us here:1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/britChapters:00:00 The Rise of Personalized Robotics02:55 Home Renovations and the Ultimate Man Cave05:45 Critique of Mountain Head: A Cinematic Disappointment08:55 The Future of Work: Substack and Creator Economy12:00 AI's Impact on Content Creation and Distribution14:57 The Evolution of Creator Brands and Product Authenticity18:08 The Supplement Market: Trends and Concerns20:55 Hardware Innovations: AR, VR, and Snap's Future27:55 The Future of Snap and OpenAI's Potential Acquisitions30:02 Innovative Wearables and the Concept of the E-Cane33:07 Build-A-Bear: The Unexpected AI Company35:59 The Everything App: Future of Digital Consolidation40:00 Elon Musk's PR Strategies and Tesla's Self-Driving Technology47:58 AI in Everyday Life: Unique Applications and Experiences

#101: The Business of OnlyFans, Future of Identity, and Navigating Privacy in the AI Age May 30, 2025

Show notes

This week on More or Less: Investors too squeamish for OnlyFans, AI makes the creator economy weirder (and richer), and why your next ETF might be Mormon. Plus, the real reason nobody watches your full podcast, and a healthy dose of tech industry self-roasting.

Takeaways

OnlyFans presents a unique investment opportunity despite its controversial nature.
Market dynamics in the sex work industry are shifting due to platforms like OnlyFans.
Investment perspectives on controversial industries are evolving with societal changes.
Digital identity verification is becoming increasingly important in the tech landscape.
AI is transforming content creation and user interaction on platforms like OnlyFans.
The need for robust age verification systems is critical for online safety.
Social engineering poses significant risks to digital security and identity verification.
The intersection of technology and privacy raises important ethical questions.
New technologies are emerging to address identity verification challenges. Cybersecurity is a growing concern in today's digital age.
Personal security measures are becoming increasingly important.
The evolution of media is leading to new forms of content consumption.
Platforms like TBPN are disrupting traditional media models.
Cultural shifts are changing the landscape of digital content.
Celebrity ventures are becoming significant players in the market.
The importance of remembering complex passwords cannot be overstated.
Media companies must adapt to the soundbite era to stay relevant.
Tech hiring is experiencing a downturn post-pandemic.
The de-stigmatization of platforms like OnlyFans is creating new opportunities.

We’re also on ↓

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Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Connect with us here:

Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin
Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin
Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin
Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

Chapters

00:00 Celebrating Milestones and Listener Engagement

03:00 The Business of OnlyFans and Its Market Dynamics

05:58 Investment Perspectives on Controversial Industries

09:04 The Evolution of Digital Identity and Security

12:00 The Intersection of Technology and Privacy

14:59 The Future of Age Verification and Digital Safety

17:53 The Role of AI in Content Creation and Interaction

20:59 Exploring New Technologies for Identity Verification

24:06 The Implications of Social Engineering and Security Risks

34:00 Navigating Cybersecurity Challenges

36:55 The Importance of Personal Security

39:57 Media Evolution and Disruption

44:03 The Future of Tech and Media

49:57 Cultural Shifts in Digital Content

53:58 Celebrity Ventures and Market Trends

#100: OpenAI Teams Up with Jony Ive, Vibe Coding, Gemini, and More May 23, 2025

Show notes

This week, Sam and Dave are joined by a very special guest: Synthetic Fidji. Yes, an AI version of Fidji Simo, created after the real one politely declined (hey, the show must go on, okay?).

They get into:

the bull and bear case for vibe coding
Gemini vs. GPT (is Sam having second thoughts?)
why GitHub might be quietly, ruthlessly winning the AI dev race
the identity crisis no one’s cracked with LLMs

Plus: OpenAI just spent $6 billion on hardware to team up with Jony Ive, the MEO phone is suddenly everywhere, and more.

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod
Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless
Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin
Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin
Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin
Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Introduction

01:24 OpenAI CEO of Applications?

07:55 Tools that ACTUALLY work

18:47 Is everyone lying about vibe coding?

43:10 The big identity problem with LLMs (and Zapier)

52:26 Google I/O: "Who cares?"

54:13 Is OpenAI big tech? They buy Jony Ive's startup

56:17 The "hyper-viral" Methaphone. How?

59:40 Outro

#99: The Airbnb Strategy Nobody’s Talking About May 16, 2025

Show notes

What happens when Sam gets fed up with shady secondary brokers mid-recording?

He starts vibe coding a platform to replace them—live on the pod!

On this week’s More or Less, the gang dives deep into the messy mechanics of the secondary markets and how early cashouts might be a bigger red flag than anyone wants to admit.

Plus:

Airbnb’s déjà vu product strategy
The quiet crisis in venture liquidity (and who’s actually good at selling)
OpenAI’s new “CEO of Applications”, and
The looming threat of Trump’s nonprofit tax crackdown (and what it means for Harvard, endowments, and… Froyo)

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

#98: OpenAI Acquires Windsurf for $3B, Google's Stock Dips May 09, 2025

Show notes

The countdown to Episode 100 is on, but this week, it's more news and less Sam.

Jessica, Brit, and Dave dig into a jam-packed week across tech, AI, VC, and culture—starting with Dave topping a surprise list of top angel investors (yes, above Peter Thiel), raising questions about who really shows up on cap tables and why no women made the cut.

The crew unpack:

Windsurf’s $3B acquisition by OpenAI
Apple’s potential move to replace Google with its own AI search in Safari
A historic week of M&A with DoorDash, Datadog, and Function Health, and
Why tech was (mostly) absent from this year’s Met Gala

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer

01:24 Nearly 100 episodes

02:35 Top one angel investor: David Morin

07:22 Big M&As and vibe coding

20:09 Digital media

22:09 Is Google search dying?

30:13 New Netflix interface

32:18 Fund entities and structures (Sam, don't listen!)

44:37 Pop culture corner: Barry Diller

46:20 Pop culture corner: Met Gala

54:44 Happy birthday to Jess

55:26 Outro

#97: How OpenAI Is Beating Google and Meta at Their Own Game May 02, 2025

Show notes

Jess, Sam, Brit, and Dave are back on More or Less with plenty to unpack—from Meta and Google’s AI sprawl to Snap’s fading relevance and the monetization questions hanging over tech.

Here’s what they get into:

– Why OpenAI is crushing the consumer AI game

– Sam’s new startup: The Ruck Rock fitness empire

– Meta’s AI app confusion (and Ray-Ban power moves)

– Snap’s ad crash—and a left-field fix involving Sam Altman

– AI and mental health: the risks no one’s talking about

Plus: the parenting trick Meghan Markle and Sam both swear by—and why Dave might soon be replaced by an AI on the board.

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer

01:20 AI investors, New York, Austin

05:01 The Ruck Rock, Methaphone, Weighted Tungsten cases

11:02 Meta AI, Google Gemini, ChatGPT

21:46 The way to win in AI

31:39 Snap snapped, and macroeconomics too

34:29 Thinking Machines Lab

38:21 AI and mental health

45:32 Pop culture: Beyonce, Warriors, Meghan Markle

48:56 Outro

#96: Google & Meta on Trial, Tesla, AI & Media Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

Jess, Sam, Brit, and Dave returned from spring break to catch up on chaotic headlines from the last week — from Tesla’s bad quarter to Google’s courtroom drama.

On the docket:

– the antitrust cases shaking up Google, Meta, and the entire ad economy

– is OpenAI quietly building the next Facebook?

– Sam’s theory on “zombiecorns”

– is OnlyFans the new Uber?

We’re also on ↓

X: https://x.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer

01:25 Recruiting PMs and hard-to-fake filters

08:34 Google anti-trust legal theater

13:58 Market narratives and fruit monopolies

22:21 LLMs and media companies

25:49 Is the web dying?

32:05 People want resonance

38:19 Adult content and AI

40:59 Meme stock Tesla and messiah Elon

47:30 How Musk handles the poliola

49:15 "Spam" Lessin's factory-farmed VC unicorn end

52:23 National medal of motherhood

55:48 Be the mountain, not the storm

58:10 Outro and announcement

#95: OpenAI’s Social Network & Figma’s Potential IPO Apr 18, 2025

Show notes

With Jess and Sam taking the week off Brit and Dave are joined by two leading voices in venture and tech: Ben Lerer (Managing Partner, Lerer Hippeau) and Morgan Beller (General Partner, NFX; Co-creator of Libra).

Together, they dive into the shifting tides of tech, venture, and AI:

– OpenAI’s next move: A social network?

– Venture’s broken math

– The ‘AI’ label inflation, and

– Figma’s IPO and what it signals for tech

Plus, Ben and Morgan weigh space travel risks—would you commit to a ticket to Mars?

Let us know in the comments below!

00:00 Trailer

01:16 Guest Intro

03:39 VC East Coast scene

08:39 Offline from tech

10:32 OpenAI social media leak?

15:08 Investing in AI

22:59 Like AI companies

28:49 Figma's Potentital IPO

33:08 LPs and founders are pissed

41:52 Pop culture corner: Katy Perry went to space

45:02 Humans on Mars by 2040?

46:36 Outro

Featuring:

Ben Lerer: https://x.com/benjlerer

Morgan Beller: https://x.com/beller

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

#94: Will Elon Quit DC? Trump’s Chaos & AI’s China Threat (with Joanna Coles) Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

This week on More or Less, Jessica hosts with Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer at The Daily Beast, while Sam, Dave, and Brit are off for “spring break”!

They explore:

• Elon’s DC stint

• Trump’s cabinet leaks: Leaks fuel Rubio-Elon tension

• China’s AI edge: Cheap tech shakes Valley’s lead

Plus, Joanna ponders plastic surgery risks in space—will implants hold up?

Featuring:

Joanna Coles: https://x.com/JoannaColes

The Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

01:13 The only one standing felt abandoned

03:05 Guest intro

04:36 What's it like inside the newsroom frontlines

07:03 Betrayal, greed, power, ambition, love...

12:17 What character is Elon Musk playing

20:25 The Donald, the Valley, and the Trade War

28:29 What the insider insiders are talking about

31:20 Space, plastic surgeons, celebrities

37:06 Another pop culture moment: Meghan Sussex

40:52 Royalty and the tabloid

46:05 Gloria Steinem, women's rights, reproductive health

48:23 Moments that break out

51:46 Outro

#93: Can Tesla Survive? Apr 04, 2025

Show notes

This week on More or Less: Tesla reports a steep drop in deliveries, investor confidence wavers, and BYD continues to close in. The crew also dives into:

Elon’s "Fake News": More Drama, Less DOGE

OpenAI’s record-breaking $40B raise

TikTok’s algo standoff, and

The UFC’s deal with Meta

Plus: Brit’s True Crime fascination with the Deel v. Rippling spy story!

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer

01:03 Sam and Dave's clones

02:59 Are we getting closer or further away from Mars?

05:58 Tesla Drama

13:36 Elon News fatigue

18:13 Dave social middle ground and drunk Sam

20:20 Everyone’s vibe coding

24:13 OpenAI

28:03 Costs vs potential monetization

46:43 Rippling v. Deel James Bond Spying

49:56 UFC × Meta

51:41 Outro

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