SWL Week in Review - Sora So What?

From:

sam lessin <s@wlessin.com>

To:

Hidden Recipient <hidden@emailshot.io>

Date:

10/3/2025, 9:26 PM(sent yesterday)

More or Less Sora So What?

Sora launch … loose on copyright, tight on content moderation… we discuss what it all means — do all aspiring power players need to be ‘TOM’ of their own network? Will AI entertainment slop burn our eyes and neurons out til we don’t care anymore / split the world or is it actually meaningful? Is the race for production value more than a vanity project in a world where memes and dances dominate anyway? And what does any of this do to create leverage for OpenAI beyond a Ghibli studio 2.0 moment vs. the obvious ‘friends as source of information routing’ old narrative around AI platforms… (nerdy intellectual version of ‘social for AI era’

Hot Takes:

Sora App — More Truth Social than Instagram — my initial reaction to using Sora… I am not all negative on it TBH but doesn’t seem meaningful or retentive yet (and is kinda buggy TBH)

Jelly-My-Jelly $100M — I want to be clear… I don’t understand the price run-up exactly… but having played with new versions of the app a ton recently with Iqram I am legitimately excited about the product innovation going on with jelly… it really feels like the cultural successor to Venmo in many ways (let’s hope with way way better financial outcome!)

The most powerful stories in history are powerful because they don’t change or because they are infinitely adaptable? — Jason Levin — whose company memelord is SNEAKY important and I riffed a bunch — big question… if you look at the Odyssey, Illiad, Old Testament, etc. most important and powerful stories in culture — is their power from the fact that they managed to not change for centuries OR that they are infinitely mememable and remixable (encouraging people to share as their own)

Next Up the “Age of Retribution” — great trainer mike point (mike being the sage I have worked out with multiple times a week for a decade +… probably the adult other than Jessica I see most consistently in my life… after the “age of power” usually comes the “age of retribution”

The Evolution of 20th Century repeatable ‘memetic’ to 21st century ‘retool-able’ templates — another really important point as culture evolves from wanting to find purpose in standing in a group, to wanting something people will like and share so you can confirm to yourself you exist and are loved.

Google AI has learned how to respond like a VC — the auto complete from an update is chef kiss… our work here is done

The Mainstream Media is so out of Touch.. — the fact that government shutdown and Gaza are above the fold and the relaunch of McDonald’s Monopoly game wasn’t… I mean — how perfect is it to relaunch a massively popular gaming / gambling game controlled by the mob last time around in this moment — everyone loves it!

To Be Written:

Production value is a war of attrition
Digital Consistency with the real world is key unsolved problem
Sharp — value of contribution…
Assignations follow age of influencers vs institutions
The case for solo founders
Signs of feudalism 2.0
Monopolies on truth which are not personally verifiable
Enlightenment was a discrete period not a stable configuration

Opportunities for Greatness

Lawfare for everyone else (with AI) —so many threads on this — and apparently the big boy multi-stage firms are doing their nine-figure-checks into some things here… so looking for the angles.

Prediction Markets — Big question of the week — is this why Robinhood stock is ripping? Do you just buy top of funnel?

Creators, Cults, and Religions — Gonna be on this list for a long time… people need this — and this week is a good reminder that standing with people in a group and singing and clapping is millennia old cheap therapy.

Farms — Gonna be on this list for a long time… this part of MAHA matters.

Etiquette — Locked and loaded at Four Seasons… will be a great afternoon if you want to join (NB: only YC founders get certificates of graduation, but all are welcome to join)

Best,

Sam

Turns out last week's MOL where Jess and I did a 'less-only' take on modern digital mercantalism went a bit mini-viral / charted on spotify (but not youtube?)... check it out if you didn't -- important theme [eo self promotion, but then again this whole thing is just self promotion]

If you are still reading and get the context... brit re-found this total gem from the GFC in 2007... it ages great...

don't stop believing

SWL

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