Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City.

Ed Zitron is joined in studio by Mia Sato of The Verge and Dave Lee of Bloomberg to talk how companies like TikTok and Google change the web with their incentives, the nihilism of Pop Mart's viral Labubus, and why people are more game to pay independent writers.

Mia Sato, The Verge 
https://www.theverge.com/authors/mia-sato
https://bsky.app/profile/miasato.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/miasato.2/

Story around “dupes”
https://www.theverge.com/cs/features/709635/knock-it-off

Story around “Labubus”
https://www.theverge.com/analysis/710047/labubu-pop-mart-blind-boxes-scarcity-marketing

Dave Lee, Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AWQ3soOJK0Y/dave-lee
https://x.com/DaveLeeBBG
https://bsky.app/profile/davelee.me

Story around Google and AI
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-07-28/google-is-reaping-the-rewards-of-its-unfair-ai-advantage?srnd=undefined

Google “Web Guide”
https://blog.google/products/search/web-guide-labs/

YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more.

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LINKS: https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks

Newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/ 

Discord: chat.wheresyoured.at

Ed's Socials:

https://twitter.com/edzitron

https://www.instagram.com/edzitron

Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City. Ed Zitron is joined in studio by Mia Sato of The Verge and Dave Lee of Bloomberg to talk how companies like TikTok and Google change the web with their incentives, the nihilism of Pop Mart's viral Labubus, and why people are more game to pay independent writers. Mia Sato, The Verge <a href="https://www.theverge.com/authors/mia-sato">https://www.theverge.com/authors/mia-sato</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/miasato.bsky.social">https://bsky.app/profile/miasato.bsky.social</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/miasato.2/">https://www.instagram.com/miasato.2/</a> Story around &ldquo;dupes&rdquo; <a href="https://www.theverge.com/cs/features/709635/knock-it-off">https://www.theverge.com/cs/features/709635/knock-it-off</a> Story around &ldquo;Labubus&rdquo; <a href="https://www.theverge.com/analysis/710047/labubu-pop-mart-blind-boxes-scarcity-marketing">https://www.theverge.com/analysis/710047/labubu-pop-mart-blind-boxes-scarcity-marketing</a> Dave Lee, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AWQ3soOJK0Y/dave-lee">https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AWQ3soOJK0Y/dave-lee</a> <a href="https://x.com/DaveLeeBBG">https://x.com/DaveLeeBBG</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/davelee.me">https://bsky.app/profile/davelee.me</a> Story around Google and AI <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-07-28/google-is-reaping-the-rewards-of-its-unfair-ai-advantage?srnd=undefined">https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-07-28/google-is-reaping-the-rewards-of-its-unfair-ai-advantage?srnd=undefined</a> Google &ldquo;Web Guide&rdquo; <a href="https://blog.google/products/search/web-guide-labs/">https://blog.google/products/search/web-guide-labs/</a>
YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to <a href="https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline">https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline</a> and use code&nbsp;FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more.
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LINKS: <a href="https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks">https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks</a>
Newsletter: <a href="https://www.wheresyoured.at/">https://www.wheresyoured.at/</a>
Reddit: <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/">https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/</a>&nbsp;
Discord: <a href="https://discord.com/invite/QUUQUP9szv">chat.wheresyoured.at</a>
Ed's Socials:
<a href="https://twitter.com/edzitron">https://twitter.com/edzitron</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/edzitron">https://www.instagram.com/edzitron</a>

Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build. 

Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world - for better or for worse.

Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build. 
Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world - for better or for worse.

Better Offline

Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build.



Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world - for better or for worse.

Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build.
 
Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world - for better or for worse.

Radio Better Offline: Mia Sato & Dave Lee

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8b64651a-ef5e-4ae4-b260-b3280149acde/transcript