Simon Owens

From now on, every time I try to post a message and it runs up against Bluesky's stupid character limits, I'm going to delete the message and replace it with "Bluesky sucks ass." Bluesky sucks ass.

Instagram found a new way to avoid sharing revenue with creators simonowens.substack.com/p/instagram-...

As a guy who exercises every day and obsessively diets yet still struggles to lose weight, I get a little bit triggered every time I watch a video where a skinny YouTuber talks about how they never work out and eat like crap.

The newsroom that built its business entirely around social media youtu.be/gyinPH0Vg5U?...

If you buy a Tesla, this is what you’re helping to fund

Netflix has stopped talking about plans for video games and podcasts www.businessinsider.com/netflix-podc...

The Emancipation of Charli D’Amelio: How the TikTok Queen Took Back Her Life www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...

YouTube Pilots Monthly Shorts Bonus Program Tied to Upload Consistency and Views www.netinfluencer.com/youtube-pilo...

NEW AD: Have you seen these anti-Talarico attack ads? Elon Musk paid for nearly all of them. The world's first trillionaire knows if he drags the most corrupt politician in Texas across the finish line, Ken Paxton will owe him everything. Elon Musk: Texas is not for sale.

Disney+ Speedran Streaming’s Circle of Life www.theringer.com/2026/10/15/t...

Spotify Hits 788 Million Monthly Users, Says AI Won’t Replace It www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Nobody Wants To Talk About Why The Ringer Is Pivoting To Substack defector.com/nobody-wants...

Marvel is anti-capitalist because it refused to reward the character who pulled himself up by his bootstraps and put in the work.

It’s almost as if cutting Medicaid and Obamacare subsidies caused everyone’s healthcare costs to rise!

The whole reason Tesla is valued higher than every other automotive company combined is because investors are betting it’s still only at the beginning of its growth curve, yet it’s posting flat revenue YOY? How is the stock only falling 3%? (Answer: because it’s a meme stock)

Meta is paying the price for alienating media companies simonowens.substack.com/p/meta-is-pa...

Why the NBA is turning its esports league into a media company youtu.be/X2wxVV4vIxE?...

YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING is a great film, but I think it really speaks to Elizabeth Holmes’s bad judgement that she had one chance to reframe the public’s perception of her and THIS is the filmmaker she chose.

People post the most inane stuff on LinkedIn. Every day I encounter these weird anecdotes that barely make any sense or go anywhere.

I’m sure he’s making impressive money on Substack, but those 340,000 “subs” are free subscribers, so he’s not making $23 million per month.

The New Joke Thieves: AI Avatars Racking Up Millions Of Views deadline.com/2026/10/come...

Social commerce edges past SEO at The Independent for the first time digiday.com/media/social...

How YouTubers finance their videos www.ft.com/content/5427...

I’m really not very good at this. Whatever innate ability some people have to run a successful content business — I don’t have it.

I listen to a film podcast where one host constantly berates his co-hosts for not watching the TV shows he recommends and I feel bad for the co-hosts because they can’t just come out and admit that it’s because he has bad taste in films and TV shows.

Substack’s app is driving paid subscriptions for creators Check out the piece: simonowens.substack.com/p/substacks-...

Why doesn’t Instagram have a way for me to mute a creator so I don’t see their content anymore? Literally my only option is to block them.

How a freelance writer turned a job board into a thriving subscription business youtu.be/_AGJ5nkylQI?...

I have tickets for a Tuesday showing and the theater is sold out

Inside Wirecutter’s push to diversify beyond affiliate revenue as AI reshapes discovery digiday.com/media/inside...

Two creators went to NYU’s business school, then decided to make a show about the news www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/two-...

This is coming from a party that flips out whenever they see a black person or a woman in a Star Wars film.

YouTube Is Looking to Expand Into Audiobooks www.wsj.com/business/med...

ESPN Launches ESPN JV YouTube Channel for Kids variety.com/2026/tv/news...

Should Netflix open its doors to user generated content? simonowens.substack.com/p/should-net...

Will Apple TV ever turn a profit? Check it out: youtu.be/XUFGaLVNuOo?...

Here’s a first: a guy booked a podcast interview with me, didn’t show up to the interview, and then today emailed to ask whether the episode’s gone live yet. My guess is he’s turned over his email and calendar to an AI agent and is completely unaware that it’s destroying his reputation.

As AI search shifts referrals, publishers revisit registration walls digiday.com/media/media-...

‘ACOTAR’ is the latest franchise that brands are clamoring to collaborate with www.modernretail.co/marketing/ac...

CNN launches international streaming push as David Ellison takes control www.ft.com/content/1e19...

I’m fairly open minded about AI and use it fairly regularly, but for the life of me I can’t think of a task that I’d feel comfortable turning over to an AI agent.

Marina Hyde launches ‘Always On’ personal media brand backed by Goalhanger pressgazette.co.uk/news/marina-...

CoComelon Is Ready to Grow Up www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...

I love the snarky jabs journalists lob at one another over who deserves credit for a particular scoop. It’s why I never tried to get into the scoop business.

Anyone notice these large AI companies keep leaking their “annualized” revenue to the press? Seems like a concerted effort to send a signal to the marketplace that the AI momentum isn’t slowing down.

Bluesky sucks ass

Kind of sad Trump won’t live long enough to be tried as a war criminal

Are there any Polymarket odds on Olivia Nuzzi dating Ken Paxton?