Better Offline – “Monologue: No, Something Big Isn’t Coming”

Host: Ed Zitron
Date: February 13, 2026

Episode Overview

In this monologue, Ed Zitron dissects and debunks the viral tech essay "Something Big Is Coming," critiquing its alarmist framing and misleading claims about artificial intelligence. Zitron sharply calls out the essay’s author, Matt Schumer, along with the media figures and outlets who amplified the piece, accusing them of spreading disinformation about AI’s capabilities. Heated, unfiltered, and deeply skeptical, Zitron warns listeners not to buy into hype or fearmongering and stresses the importance of critical thinking when evaluating bold claims from the tech industry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dissecting the Essay’s Hype Cycle

• The essay "Something Big Is Coming" has gone viral, lauded even by major commentators, yet Zitron asserts it is "abominable, nonsensical Hogslop" and "AI generated and complete fucking nonsense."

  • Notable Quote [00:52]:
    “This essay has done the rounds because of its histrionic tone and deliberate leaning upon the anxieties of those scared of AI and the mythology of AI boosters.” — Ed Zitron

• Zitron provides context about the author, Matt Schumer, founder of Otherside AI, whose product is essentially a wrapper around generic large language models (LLMs).

• Notably, Zitron used Schumer's own AI tool to critique the essay, which, amusingly, highlighted its “lack of specifics” and “alarmist framing.”

  • Notable Quote [02:05]:
    “Even your shit ass LLM rapper doesn’t like your bullshit.” — Ed Zitron

2. Debunking Misleading AI Claims

• The main accusation: Schumer exaggerates AI’s current capabilities, especially by suggesting AI tools can work completely autonomously or are close to self-improvement.

• Zitron methodically refutes examples from the essay, e.g., claims about AI replacing lawyers or autonomously writing software, as “entirely made up bullshit.”

  • Specific OpenAI claims are pulled apart:
    • Schumer uses real OpenAI quotes but wholly misinterprets them, making it sound as if software is designing itself—a claim Zitron brands as “not happening.”

• Another major issue: vague assertions lacking citations, such as AI “approaching or exceeding human performance in several areas of medicine.”

  • Notable Quote [04:15]:
    “Barely keeping my cool on this one because it’s so fucking frustrating to see…how many people…I saw Fortune repost this, I saw Business Insider do a post, fucking the Technology Brothers…they had this fuck nut on.” — Ed Zitron

3. The Tech Industry’s Cycle of Hype and Deceit

• Zitron highlights that Schumer has a history of overhyping; he points to the Reflection 70B model announced in 2024, which Schumer claimed was groundbreaking but turned out to be a wrapper for another company’s AI, with benchmarks that could not be independently verified.

  • Notable Quote [05:10]:
    “It became obvious that Schumer was a lying sack of shit. And that Reflection 70B was a rapper for Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet model…” — Ed Zitron

• He condemns mainstream journalists and media for amplifying unverified claims, accusing them of “actively participating in an act of disinformation.”

• Zitron also denounces Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Dario Amodei (Anthropic) as part of the hype apparatus.

4. The Cost of Uncritical Hype in Media

• According to Zitron, widespread media validation of Schumer’s essay led to undue panic among regular people about AI job displacement and intelligence breakthroughs.

  • Notable Quote [06:00]:
    “Regular people got scared because of this because mainstream media validated it. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.” — Ed Zitron

• He expresses gratitude to audience members who recognized the essay’s dubiousness and emailed him, reaffirming that basic skepticism is warranted in the face of tech hype.

• Zitron vows not to forget who was complicit in spreading such stories and voices his ongoing frustration and anger at tech grift.

  • Notable Quote [06:20]: “I am furious. I am disgusted to see this—60 million fucking views on this bullshit…Anyone in the media who platformed this…think about whether you’re capable of doing your jobs every day because you seem to lack the critical thinking to spot a scam artist.” — Ed Zitron

Memorable Moments & Quotes (with Timestamps)

• [00:52] On the essay’s viral spread:
  “This essay has done the rounds because of its histrionic tone and deliberate leaning upon the anxieties of those scared of AI and the mythology of AI boosters.” — Ed Zitron

• [02:05] Mocking Schumer’s own AI tool:
  “Even your shit ass LLM rapper doesn’t like your bullshit.” — Ed Zitron

• [04:15] Frustration at media gullibility:
  “Barely keeping my cool on this one because it’s so fucking frustrating…they had this fuck nut on.” — Ed Zitron

• [05:10] Exposing Schumer’s past exaggerations:
  “It became obvious that Schumer was a lying sack of shit. And that Reflection 70B was a rapper for Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet model…” — Ed Zitron

• [06:00] On public fear stoked by media:
  “Regular people got scared because of this because mainstream media validated it. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.” — Ed Zitron

• [06:20] Final call for accountability:
  “I am furious. I am disgusted to see this—60 million fucking views on this bullshit…” — Ed Zitron

Key Timestamps

• [00:37] – Monologue begins, introduction to essay and background on Matt Schumer
• [01:30] – Dissecting Schumer’s claims and critical commentary using his own AI tool
• [03:30] – Debunking claims about AI’s current capabilities and autonomy
• [04:50] – Example of Schumer’s prior misleading AI announcement (Reflection 70B)
• [05:20] – Calling out mainstream media and top tech CEOs for validating the hype
• [06:00] – On media’s responsibility and the real-world impact of misinformation
• [06:20] – Host’s emotional summary and closing condemnation

Tone and Style

• Fiercely critical, bracingly honest, profane, and passionate
• Uses strong language to drive home the seriousness of disinformation in tech
• Mixes humor and sarcasm with genuine concern for the public and the state of media coverage

Summary

Ed Zitron’s monologue delivers a thorough takedown of AI hype, exposing misinformation and demanding accountability from the tech press and industry figures. If you want to understand how viral technology trends can mislead—even frighten—the public, and why it’s so crucial to think critically about AI's future, this episode is essential listening.

(This summary omits all advertisement and non-content segments.)