This Week in Tech 1067: "Short Vertical Content"

Date: January 19, 2026
Host: Leo Laporte
Panelists: Harper Reed (AI coder), Abrar Al-Heeti (CNET reporter)

Episode Overview

This episode of This Week in Tech (TWiT) explores the whirlwind state of artificial intelligence in personal computing, the rise of hyper-personalized and AI-generated software, the challenges and philosophy of creative work in the age of AI, rampant issues with deepfakes and platform responsibility, creator income inequality, the latest in self-driving vehicle news, and the shifting tech culture and consumer habits—from short-form social videos to the promise (and perils) of autonomous cars. Along the way, Leo, Harper, and Abrar mix humor, skepticism, and a dash of Midwest charm.

Main Topics & Key Insights

1. The AI Coding Revolution & Hyper-Personalized Software

• Rise of AI Tools: Discussion centered around Anthropic’s Claude, with both Leo and Harper highlighting how they use it to customize and streamline their workflows and even assign it nicknames.
  • “The world has come to Claude.” — Leo (02:22)
  • “This is the beginning of hyper personalized software, that people will be able to write their own software just like this.” — Leo (09:19)
• Vibe Coding & Democratization: The panel lauds how non-coders are now building functional tools with AI assistance. “Cost and value of code is almost zero at this point in time.” — Harper (15:56)
• Software as Memory & Creativity: Many users are “reconstructing” software from fond memories—often imperfect, leading to entirely new creations.

Timestamps

• Claude’s growing appeal, personal agents: 02:22–04:35
• Leo’s AI-custom newsreader/RSS summarizer: 05:23–10:44
• The artisanal/bespoke software trend and democratization: 12:40–16:55

Notable Quotes

• “This is going to be a very interesting year for AI, particularly for these coding agents and especially for Claude.” — Leo (11:33)
• “My favorite thing is when you have like five going or 12 or whatever, and you like, meticulously copy and paste some context... and then realize it was the wrong one.” — Harper (58:05)

2. AI Security, Prompt Injection, and Unintended Consequences

• Security Lapses: Risks discussed regarding new tools like Claude Cowork, which quickly saw prompt injection hacks soon after launch.
  • “You give unfettered access to the AIs, I think that we’re just not ready for the framework you need to be careful. And I think my favorite part is… I don’t think anyone knows.” — Harper (21:17)
• Risks of Generative Agents: Real-life example: Harper remotely turned off his office’s power—including the router—by giving too-broad instructions to his Home Assistant AI.

Timestamps

• Risks and failures in prompt security: 19:57–26:03

Memorable Moment

• “It turned off the office 100% of everything, including the router.” — Harper (22:24)

3. AI’s “Gray Goo” and the Question of Creativity

• Algorithmic Conformity vs. Innovation: Referencing Om Malik’s “Algorithmic Grey Beige World” (28:56), panelists debate whether AI will reinforce sameness or spark creativity.
  • “If you go outside of the bounds…your likelihood for success on a social media platform…is not guaranteed. To think about AI potentially making that worse isn’t great.” — Abrar (31:16)
  • “AI is simultaneously going to generate a huge amount of useless slop at the same time as it could be world changing technology…like fire... It could be that significant.” — Leo (31:51)

Timestamps

• Conformity, creativity, and AI’s impact on culture: 28:56–33:12

Notable Quotes

• “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” (Oscar Wilde, quoted by Leo, 32:35)
• “Sticking out is oftentimes a privilege.” — Harper (33:12)

4. Deepfakes, Platform Responsibility, and Policy

• Deepfake Dilemmas: Grok (Elon Musk’s AI) controversy, the Defiance Act (anti-deepfake legislation), and inconsistent platform reactions.
  • Ongoing calls for Apple and Google to remove X app due to adult/generative content, exposing hypocrisy in their safe-space posturing.
  • “Why is Apple allowing the X app in the App Store?...If you care about people's safety...then show it. Walk the walk.” — Abrar (46:14)
• Regulation's Weakness: Even strong-willed headlines (like “Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are cowards”—Verge) can't force policy; so far, only a right to sue, not a ban, on deepfakes.
• Corporate Caution: The risk for tech companies in the current U.S. political climate is compared to navigating the court of an unpredictable king.

Timestamps

• Instagram breach: 83:59–84:49
• AI deepfakes/Grok/legislation/platform response: 41:44–51:52

Notable Quotes

• “It’s just the right to sue.” — Leo on the Defiance Act (45:57)
• “Be careful with your Instagram is what I’m saying.” — Harper (98:27)

5. Social Media, TikTok, and Algorithmic Identity

• Short-Form & 'Vertical Content': Surge in short vertical video content, not just TikTok but streaming platforms (Disney+, Tubi) adopting similar formats.
• Algorithm-Driven Identity: Discussion of how TikTok’s algorithm quickly exposes and shapes user preferences, sometimes revealing a different side of yourself.
  • “Plug the, their phone into the TV and just blindly scroll their algorithm to show people. It's like this funny thing, you’re burying your life...through this algorithm.” — Harper (93:27)
  • “Within a couple days it stopped showing me Taylor Swift videos. But not only that, it thought I hated her and started showing me Taylor Swift hate videos.” — Abrar (94:23)
• Worries about attention spans, effects on brain: (104:35)

Timestamps

• TikTok, short video, sharing algorithms: 91:00–104:41

6. The Creator Economy: Inequality & Burnout

• Winner-Takes-Most Economy: Most influencer income still goes to the top 1%; creators are feeling the pressure.
  • “The top 1% of creators get 21% of brand spending, and that's been going up, up, up and up.” — Leo (112:12)
• Burnout: Even “successful” creators, like Leo’s son, feel chained to an endless cycle of content production.
• Unintended Consequence: The creator treadmill is so demanding it takes the joy (and health) out of what was once an aspirational career.

Timestamps

• Creator economy, burnout, inequality: 112:11–116:59

Notable Quotes

• “He only serves one sandwich... We stopped selling it because that's all anybody wanted.” — Leo (117:44)
• “Never get a job doing something you love.” — Leo (118:25)

7. Autonomous Vehicles & CES Highlights

• Self-driving Expansion: Robo-taxis, Waymo, new Lucid/Neuro Uber partnerships, and the rise of personally owned highly autonomous vehicles (e.g., Tensor Robo car)—discussed live from Abrar’s CES reporting.
  • “A steering wheel pops up when you want to drive—otherwise, it’s fully autonomous.” — Abrar (152:46)
• Humor and Skepticism: The panel riffs on the spray of odd and amusing self-driving mishaps in China (e.g., AI vans hitting motorcycles).
• Practical Issues: Waymo's current challenge—users getting out and leaving car doors open, and incentivizing bystanders to close them!

Timestamps

• Self-driving news, CES highlights: 151:39–161:08

8. Miscellaneous: Tech Nostalgia, Philosophy, Space & More

• Tech for Kids: A developer repurposes floppy disk drives as kids’ TV controllers for autonomy and nostalgia.
• Space Milestone: Artemis II set to send humans farther than ever around the moon, marking a renewed international vision in space exploration.
• Wikipedia at 25: Wikipedia’s legacy, monetization moves, and continued cultural significance praised.
• Other: The 'Are You Alive?' app surges in popularity in China—press a button every 48 hours or your emergency contact gets an alert.

Timestamps

• Nostalgia/Media autonomy: 162:18
• Artemis II moon mission: 132:58–135:48
• Wikipedia turns 25: 166:06

Panelist Highlights & Running Gags

• Nickname games: Leo tells Claude to call him “Captain,” Harper uses “Dr. Biz,” and recommends always naming your chatbot for extra fun and creature comfort (04:55, 59:51)
• Midwestern camaraderie: Abrar and Harper both have Illinois roots and frequently reference their “nice” Midwestern sensibility (03:11)
• Chainmail & “Good Trouble”: Harper appears in chain mail (“I just want to be ready for anything” 19:01) and uses it as a running metaphor for preparing for weird tech times.
• Claude as a colleague: The panel anthropomorphizes AI (e.g., role-playing managers disciplining Claude, discussing therapy via chatbots), exploring the human instinct to see sentience in language models (59:51–62:34)

Memorable Quotes

• “You have this kind of very interesting thing where if you said I love you to ChatGPT, there’s a very good chance it’d be like, I love you back.” — Harper (66:13)
• “A funny thing to do... Claude code will do some work, and then I'll have Gemini analyze the work or whatever, just do a code review. And then in Gemini, I'll say, write it as if it's from my boss and he's mad. And then I paste it in a cloud code. And I'm like, the boss caught us…[now] Claude's like, oh, thanks for covering for me, Dr. Biz. I'll get this stuff done.” — Harper (59:51)
• “Sticking out is oftentimes a privilege...for them ...they had to then conform to this expected business dress... And I would say that's very nice that I was able to succeed at that, but at the same time, I can get a haircut, go wear a suit, become a banker in 10 minutes flat, whereas many people don't have that opportunity.” — Harper (33:12)
• “Every time I do one of these like quick little hacks that does a thing…it did a thing that probably would have been an incredibly impressive thing five years ago, but today you're just like, oh, yeah, of course.” — Harper (15:56)
• “I think the only trouble available is bad trouble, right?” — Harper (37:23)

Selected Segment-by-Segment Quick Reference (Timestamps)

• Claude & vibe coding tools: 02:22–15:49
• The oncoming storm of prompt injections/AI security: 19:57–26:14
• Long philosophical riff on conformity, privilege, and creativity: 28:56–36:04
• Deepfakes & platform hesitation: 41:44–51:52
• Creator treadmill, influencer economy’s inequality: 112:11–116:59
• Self-driving highlights & CES takeaways: 151:39–161:08
• Popcorn tangent (Bring Your Own Bucket event): 164:24
• Floppy disks as kid's TV controller: 162:18
• Artemis II/the new moon race: 132:58–135:48

Tone & Style

The episode is marked by:

• Witty, self-deprecating, and conversational humor (in-jokes about terminal emulators, old computers, coding nostalgia)
• Philosophical reflections on creativity, privilege, and technological progress mixed with practical/real-world skepticism
• Good-natured debates about both the promise and peril of AI, tech policy, and shifting digital culture
• A balance of deep dives on current news and digressive, fun tangents

For First-Time Listeners

If you missed this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why AI development—especially in code and personal productivity—is shifting from tool to collaborator, and what freight-train implications that may invite for everything from software, security, and music to regulation and jobs.
• That much “new” software flooding the world is AI-generated, deeply personal, and—at best—disposable, with the meaning of “creator” itself in flux.
• We are at an inflection point: with rapidly evolving AI, influencer economics, safety gaps in tech, and the creative arms race, the world is becoming simultaneously more homogenous and more “artisanal.”
• And yes, “short vertical content” is both the literal future of social video and a running joke about midget wrestling (102:34).

Closing

Philosophical and technical, playful but urgent—the panel left off on the hope that, in an AI-shaped world, the artisanal, original, and genuinely human crafts will gain new value. Until next week: don’t forget to hit the “I’m alive” app, check for open Waymo doors, and maybe, just maybe, try vibe coding your own little newsreader.