Balaji on How Tech Truly Wins Media

What really caused the breakdown between tech and media—and what comes next?

Erik Torenberg sits down with Balaji Srinivasan (entrepreneur, investor, and author of The Network State) to explore the long-building conflict between Silicon Valley and legacy journalism. Balaji explains how the collapse of traditional media business models gave rise to political capture, clickbait, and adversarial coverage of the tech industry.

They discuss why “going direct” is no longer optional, how tech became the villain in establishment narratives, and what it would take to build a new truth infrastructure - from decentralized content creation to cryptographic verification.

This episode covers power, distribution, and the future of media, with a signature mix of historical insight, social analysis, and Balaji’s forward-looking frameworks.

Timecodes: 

0:00 Introduction 

1:26 The Media vs. Tech Conflict

2:11 The Collapse of Journalism Revenue

2:39 Rise of Wokeness and Political Realignment

6:50 State vs. Network: A New Framework

9:00 The Power Structure of Media Institutions

19:25 The Role of Distribution and the Internet

29:20 The Social War: Red vs. Blue America

30:05 X Day and the Shift in Social Media Power

42:56 Strategies for Technologists: Go Direct

48:36 The Importance of Individual Creators

1:10:00 Decentralized Truth and the Ledger of Record

1:36:00 The Future of Media, Democracy, and Equality

1:37:08 Conclusion & Final Thoughts

Resources

Find Balaji on X: https://x.com/balajis

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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

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