As CEO of Sundial Media and Technology Group, home to Essence, Refinery 29, Afro-Punk, and Beautycon, Kirk McDonald has spent 30 years at the intersection of publishing, ad tech, and agency leadership, and his thesis is simple: the industry optimized for clicks and reach when it should have been building for cultural relevance and community. Kirk unpacks the difference between influencers and creators, calls out AI as a proxy for "artificial intimacy," and argues the DEI backlash is a business mistake dressed up as a culture war.