73 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
American Broadcasting Company, one of the original three US broadcast television networks, where Barry Diller began his media career and shaped its entertainment programming strategy.
Steve Case's Virginia online services company — the first mass-market internet service provider — famous for its CD-ROM distribution strategy, AIM instant messenger, and the catastrophic merger with Time Warner in 2001.
American media personality, radio host, and founder of InfoWars — the most prominent conspiracy theory media operation in the US — whose Sandy Hook defamation judgments ($1.5B in damages) became the largest defamation case in US history.
American technology and commerce company founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 as an online bookstore that became the world's largest e-commerce company, the dominant cloud infrastructure provider, and a major media, AI, and logistics company.
Silicon Valley venture capital firm founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz — notable for its media-heavy approach (operating platform, Substack, podcast network), its investment in crypto and AI, and Andreessen's influential tech essays.
American internet media entrepreneur — founder of Breitbart News and The Huffington Post's initial helper — who pioneered the aggregation-plus-outrage model of political internet media before his death at 43.
British-American fashion editor who has served as Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue since 1988 — transforming it from a declining magazine into the world's most powerful fashion publication — through decisive taste-making, uncompromising standards, and a talent for identifying and supporting designers at critical moments.
American comedian, actor, and author — co-creator of Master of None (Netflix) — author of Modern Romance — who combines stand-up comedy, television writing, and sociological research.
American conservative commentator — founder of The Daily Wire — Harvard Law graduate — fastest-talking commentator in conservative media — whose debate style ('Facts don't care about your feelings') made him the most-followed conservative podcaster of the 2010s.
British adult content creator who became internationally known through a claimed record-breaking sexual encounter — generating enormous media coverage and public debate about sexual culture, consent, OnlyFans, and the commercialization of sex.
Ronan Farrow's 2019 account of investigating Harvey Weinstein — including the attempts by Weinstein, AMI (National Enquirer), and NBC to suppress the story — the definitive account of the #MeToo investigations.
The world's largest online chess platform — surging to 100+ million members after The Queen's Gambit Netflix series — providing games, puzzles, analysis, and tournaments.
British podcaster — host of Modern Wisdom — who built one of the most successful interview podcasts in the UK by covering psychology, philosophy, business, and health with guests from academia and public life.
45th and 47th President of the United States — New York real estate developer and television personality turned politician — whose 2016 and 2024 election victories transformed American conservative politics.
American businessman, political activist, and eldest son of former President Donald Trump — who plays a prominent role in Republican political messaging and conservative media.
Barry Diller's IAC digital media company — formed from the merger of Dotdash and Meredith — publishing brands including Verywell Health, The Spruce, Investopedia, People, and Better Homes & Gardens.
American journalist and anchor of Bloomberg Technology, author of Brotopia, and a prominent interviewer of technology executives.
American entrepreneur — co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc. — who created Snapchat as a disappearing photo app and then pivoted to a camera company — the youngest person ever to take a company public at a $20B+ valuation.
Every is a bundle of newsletters and analysis covering technology, AI, business, and culture — founded by Dan Shipper and Nathan Baschez — notable for its AI-first editorial approach and its model of bundling independent writers.
American streaming platform dedicated to submission grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition — which has become the primary media infrastructure for the sport, broadcasting major events and growing the competitive scene globally.
American television network founded in 1986 by Rupert Murdoch and Barry Diller as the first successful fourth broadcast network, challenging the ABC/CBS/NBC oligopoly.
The 2017 fraudulent luxury music festival in the Bahamas organized by Billy McFarland and Ja Rule — which collapsed catastrophically on its opening day, stranding thousands of ticket holders without food, accommodation, or performances — and which generated two major documentaries.
Texas wildcatter who acquired Dad Joiner's East Texas oil field in a sharp dealing, used it to build the largest personal fortune in the United States — and whose ultra-conservative political media empire made him as polarizing as he was wealthy.
American journalist — Washington Post contributor — author of Pound Foolish (a critique of the personal finance industry) and The Index Card — who critiques the personal finance advice industry.
American conservative commentator and author who has become a prominent young conservative voice — commenting on campus culture, Gen Z conservatism, and political identity — and whose Clean in a Dirty World addresses personal values in modern culture.
American internet entrepreneur and investor — co-host of the All-In Podcast — founder of LAUNCH (venture capital) — who built Silicon Alley Reporter, Weblogs Inc., and Mahalo — one of the most prominent voices in tech media.
Hong Kong media magnate and democracy activist — founder of Apple Daily (closed by Beijing in 2021) and Next Digital — currently imprisoned under Hong Kong's National Security Law — one of the most consequential figures in the fight for Hong Kong's autonomy.
American comedian, UFC commentator, and podcaster — host of The Joe Rogan Experience — the world's most listened-to podcast — who became one of the most influential media figures of the 2010s–2020s through long-form uncensored conversation.
American mental health professional, PhD in higher education and counseling, who hosts The Dr. John Delony Show on the Ramsey Solutions media network — covering relationships, mental health, and personal crisis.
British relationship coach and author who has become the most followed male relationship coach for women — whose YouTube videos, retreats, and books provide practical advice on attraction, self-worth, and relationship dynamics.
American entrepreneur who founded Bloomberg LP after being fired from Salomon Brothers — building the Bloomberg Terminal into the dominant financial data platform — and later served three terms as Mayor of New York City.
American venture capitalist, VP at Founders Fund, and founder of Pirate Wires — a newsletter covering technology, culture, and politics from a pro-tech, anti-institutional-left perspective.
American journalist — Managing Editor of TIME magazine (2013–2017) — who became the first woman to lead TIME — Harvard's Joan Shorenstein Center director — author of The Preacher and the Presidents (on Billy Graham's relationships with all US presidents).
American astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium, and science communicator who has become one of the most prominent popular science figures — known for his Carl Sagan-influenced accessible astrophysics communication and his skeptical engagement with UAP claims.
British professional footballer — former England international known for his 6'7" height, aerial ability, and robot dance celebration — who has successfully transitioned to media through the popular That Peter Crouch Podcast.
Scott Galloway's media brand — centered on The Prof G Pod and No Mercy/No Malice newsletter — applying brand strategy and economic analysis to tech companies and culture.
Austrian energy drink company co-founded by Dietrich Mateschitz in 1987 — which created the premium energy drink category — and which built a global brand through content marketing rather than traditional advertising, owning sports teams, music festivals, and extreme sports events.
Australian-American media magnate — founder and chairman of News Corp and Fox Corporation — who built a global media empire (Fox News, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, The Sun, The Times, Sky) that became the primary infrastructure of Anglo-American conservative politics.
Iranian-American chef and food writer — author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat — Netflix series host — who created the most pedagogically effective cooking book by organizing around fundamental principles rather than recipes.
American educational children's television program that began in 1969 — combining entertainment with evidence-based early childhood education — which has had documented positive effects on school readiness, literacy, and numeracy for generations of American children, particularly in low-income households.
American stand-up comedian, television host, and author known for hosting Family Feud, Steve Harvey Morning Show, and for his relationship advice book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.
Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie's San Francisco newsletter and subscription publishing platform — enabling writers to build paid subscriber businesses directly — a key enabler of the creator economy and the newsletter renaissance.
American media mogul — who founded CNN (first 24-hour news channel), created Turner Broadcasting, launched TBS, built the Atlanta Braves and Hawks, won the America's Cup, bought 2 million acres of American land, and gave $1 billion to the United Nations.
The New York Times is America's newspaper of record, founded in 1851, and one of the world's most influential publications.
British political activist (born Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) who founded the English Defence League and has become the most prominent anti-Islam activist in the UK — repeatedly imprisoned for contempt of court and fraud — and whose documentary about grooming gangs generated significant political controversy.
American political commentator and former Fox News host whose Tucker Carlson Tonight was the most watched cable news program — who was fired by Fox News in 2023 and subsequently built an independent media presence on X.
American daily financial newspaper published since 1889 — the highest-circulation newspaper in the United States — and the primary source for business and financial news journalism in America.
German-Jewish philosopher and cultural critic — associated with the Frankfurt School — author of The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction and The Arcades Project — who died at the Spanish border fleeing the Nazis — whose fragmentary, aphoristic style influenced postwar critical theory.
American newspaper publisher — who built the Hearst Corporation (largest newspaper chain in the US) through sensationalism, invented yellow journalism, influenced US entry into the Spanish-American War, and built Hearst Castle — the model for Citizen Kane.
Jerry Yang and David Filo's Sunnyvale internet portal — the defining internet company of the late 1990s — notable for declining to buy Google for $1 million, refusing Microsoft's $44 billion acquisition offer, and a decades-long decline from internet dominance.
American video-sharing platform founded in 2005 and acquired by Google in 2006 — which became the world's second-largest search engine and the primary platform for video content creation — enabling the creator economy and disrupting traditional television.
Michael Bloomberg's financial data and media company — whose Bloomberg Terminal is the indispensable infrastructure of global financial markets, subsidizing a massive news and media operation.
American business media company founded by B.C. Forbes in 1917 — whose Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans became the defining annual measure of American wealth.
The Columbia Broadcasting System — one of the three major American television networks, long known as the 'Tiffany Network' for its prestige news and entertainment programming.
American businesswoman and philanthropist — widow of Steve Jobs — whose Emerson Collective funds education reform, immigration advocacy, and significant media investments.
Cable television executive who built TCI into the largest cable company in America — and subsequently Liberty Media into a global media empire — using extraordinary financial engineering and capital allocation.
CNN (Cable News Network) is an American cable and satellite television channel launched in 1980 by Ted Turner as the world's first 24-hour cable news network. It pioneered continuous news coverage and became a global brand, though its ratings and reputation have been contested in the post-2016 media environment.
American media mogul and talk show host whose program was the most-watched daytime talk show for 25 years — and whose cultural influence on reading, wellness, and self-help is unparalleled.
CEO of The Walt Disney Company (2005-2020, 2022-2024) who transformed Disney through three landmark acquisitions (Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm) and the launch of Disney+.
Microblogging and social networking platform founded by David Karp in 2007 — home to fandom, creative subcultures, and LGBTQ+ communities, acquired by Yahoo for $1.1B in 2013 and subsequently sold for $3M.
Stripe's publishing imprint — producing carefully curated books on technology, economics, and progress that reflect Stripe's intellectual values and commitment to 'increasing the GDP of the internet.'
Ryan Holiday's narrative of Peter Thiel's secret multi-year campaign to destroy Gawker Media by funding Hulk Hogan's privacy lawsuit — a study in conspiratorial patience and strategic power.
CEO of Capital Cities Communications who built one of the most successful media companies in history through disciplined capital allocation and extreme decentralization — Buffett's favorite manager.
American media company that acquired ABC in 1985 and generated extraordinary returns through disciplined capital allocation and operational decentralization — sold to Disney in 1996.
Global information services company formed by the 2008 merger of Thomson and Reuters — providing financial data, legal research, tax tools, and news to professional markets.
Data journalism and content marketing company that produces research-driven articles using pricing and economic data — original mission was pricing used goods, evolved into content marketing services.
Creator of Farnam Street blog and The Knowledge Project podcast — a media platform dedicated to mental models, decision-making, and learning from exceptional thinkers.
American political journalist and blogger — co-founder of Vox, author of One Billion Americans, and writer of the Slow Boring newsletter advocating for economically liberal, demographically ambitious politics.
Tele-Communications Inc. — America's largest cable television company under John Malone, acquired by AT&T in 1999 for $48B.
American blogger and entrepreneur — one of the earliest prolific bloggers, former CEO of Glitch (formerly Fog Creek Software), and technology humanist who writes about the social consequences of software.
Editor at Stripe Press — part of the team that has made Stripe Press one of the most intellectually influential small publishers in the technology industry.
American tabloid newspaper that pioneered celebrity scandal journalism — and whose 'catch and kill' practice (paying for exclusive rights to stories and then suppressing them) became a significant political scandal through its relationship with Donald Trump.
Robert Barron is an American Catholic bishop, theologian, and founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, one of the most prominent Catholic new media organizations. He is known for his accessible, intellectually serious engagement with Catholic theology, classical philosophy, and cultural criticism, drawing on figures like Thomas Aquinas, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and G.K. Chesterton.