Eric Siu argues that companies like OpenAI and Stripe now launch podcasts and creator events to build audiences. But growing reach alone doesn't create revenue or competitive advantage. Creators need to learn operations and build real businesses, not just chase distribution.
So we went from influencers not being considered a job to it being the only job. Every company will become half media, half the original business. And so you see now OpenAI just started a podcast, Sam Altman being interviewed at his company. Stripe just started a podcast. They interviewed the CFO of Meta, and I think they had some other interesting people on the podcast. And so we're going to see a lot more of this. And this kind of coincides with this whole me going to this creator pickleball event because everyone's trying to establish distribution. But I'm like, I was talking to one of the guys there. I was like, look, establish a distribution, but don't get trapped in trying to interview these people and grow a big reach. On podcasts because that's not going to drive revenue for you. I literally did that. Like, I've been podcasting for like 14, 15 years, right? And so I was like, look, you can keep doing the creator thing, but that on its own is not enough of a moat. Like, you actually have to learn how to become an operator in some way, shape, or form.
