Branded content has been around for decades, but a new format is quietly taking over the marketing world, and the results are as strange as they are revealing. Micro dramas, short-form vertical video series chopped into dozens of bite-sized episodes, have become a multi-billion dollar global phenomenon. Brands are now pouring money into the format, … Read more
When Axios host Mike Allen asked President Donald Trump what he had learned about the limits of his power following the conflict with Iran, the answer came immediately. “There are no limits,” Trump said. When Allen followed up by asking, “No limits?” Trump doubled down. “No, none,” he replied. “I haven’t learned that lesson yet. … Read more
China is reshaping its higher education system at a scale rarely seen in modern history. Between 2021 and 2025, universities across the country revoked or suspended 12,200 undergraduate degree programmes while introducing 10,200 new ones. More than 30 per cent of all university programmes in the country underwent significant changes, according to Ministry of Education … Read more
When Joseph Gordon-Levitt stood before cameras on Capitol Hill advocating passionately for legislation that would strip tech giants of one of their most valuable legal shields, it read like the kind of celebrity activism that generates a news cycle and then fades. Then came the revelation that the actor had been quietly attending Peter Thiel‘s … Read more
Comedian Ari Shaffir was notably absent from the Riyadh Comedy Festival, and when asked about it on the podcast Drawn Together, he didn’t hold back when discussing both the event and the comedians who chose to attend. Shaffir explained that he wasn’t around when the festival happened and only started hearing about it after returning … Read more
Comedian Ari Shaffir recently appeared on the podcast Drawn Together, where he talked about a variety of topics, including Joe Rogan‘s influence on the comedy industry and whether being associated with him still carries the same career-changing impact it once did. When host Oona McCaughan asked Shaffir how important it is for comedians to stay … Read more
The Federal Communications Commission is considering a rule that would fundamentally change how Americans purchase and access mobile phone service. Under the proposed change, all telecom providers would be required to collect a customer’s name, physical address, government-issued identification number, and an alternative telephone number before granting access to their services, covering both new and … Read more
For years, Nate Bargatze built his career on being the comedian everyone could enjoy. Billed as family-friendly and resolutely non-political, he packed arenas without ever wading into the culture wars. That carefully maintained neutrality came to an abrupt end this past weekend when Bargatze turned up at one of the most politically charged spectacles in … Read more
A weight loss community on TikTok is pushing a concept called the “three bite rule,” and content creators are increasingly pushing back. The rule comes from Liv Schmidt, a former Goldman Sachs employee who runs an online group called Skinni Societe, spelled “skinni” on TikTok because, as creator RayLikeSunshine points out, the word “skinny” is … Read more
Japan’s patience with disrespectful IRL content creators appears to be running thin, and a recent incident involving a young American broadcaster known as Oblivion has illustrated exactly why. Oblivion, who is not yet 20 years old, built his following across TikTok, Kick, and YouTube through a mix of self-deprecating humor, boxing appearances, and increasingly controversial … Read more
