ADSN

James Borow and Daniel Druger
  • 4.8 (16)
  • Tech News
  • Updated Biweekly

ADSN (The Ads Network) is a weekly show for people building and investing in ads, media, and monetization products. Every Tuesday, join James Borow and Daniel Druger as they bring over 30 years of experience to discuss the headlines and the why and how behind them. They also welcome industry leaders to go deep on topics in a fun and approachable format. Join the ADSN crew every Tuesday 🗓️

  1. 1d ago

    30 Minutes: Ghost Angels and Why Every Tech Mafia Has a Fund ft. Max Rivera

    Before you start this episode, please give us a subscribe & leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Spotify & YouTube. This helps the podcast grow and makes James very happy. "The founders that we invest in, the last thing that they want is our money. They want us." Every big tech company has an alumni investing group, and until this summer Snap was the exception. On this episode of 30 Minutes, Daniel and James sit down with Max Rivera, founder of Ghost Angels, the Snap alumni fund that officially launched in June. Max walks through why he built it: a company that never topped 5,000 employees now has alumni running teams across big tech, the AI labs, and the hyperscalers, plus a bench of founders and investors that includes people like Brian Kim and Jacob Andreou. The fund is deliberately angel-sized, writing $25K to $50K checks that slot into the strategic part of a cap table even in oversubscribed rounds, and it stays focused on social, media, and ad tech where a group of 20 Snap operators is actually useful to a founder. Max shares the first five portfolio companies, including Intangible (a16z speedrun), Ev Williams' new contacts app, YC-backed Lightberry, Snap alumni-founded Auto, and Gen Z location app Corner. The back half gets into how Max actually runs this while holding a full-time job at Microsoft AI. He started angel investing five years ago with what he called "tuition capital," backing about 20 startups purely to learn venture by doing, and he now runs Ghost Angels as what he jokingly calls a vibe-coded fund, with AI handling deal flow ingestion, a custom CRM, LP dashboards, diligence research, and even legal review of SAFEs. He makes the case for being public about side hustles, why operators make better cap table members than career investors, and where Ghost Angels could go next, from a 100-member group to a syndicate for non-Snap believers. Listeners will come away with a practical playbook for starting an alumni fund and a clear picture of why the Snap diaspora is one of the most underrated networks in tech. Thank you to our sponsors: AdQuick – Making OOH advertising as easy to plan, buy, and measure as digital. adquick.comThrad.ai — Building the advertising infrastructure for AI. thrad.aibeehiiv — The all-in-one platform for newsletters, websites, and every tool you need to grow and earn. beehiiv.comThe Farm — Fraction commercial legal with an in-house approach to outside counsel. thefarmllp.com STAY CONNECTEDJames on Twitter & LinkedIn – /jamesborowDaniel on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok – /danieldrugerSubscribe & leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

    30 Minutes: Ghost Angels and Why Every Tech Mafia Has a Fund ft. Max Rivera

  2. Aug 31

    30 minutes: How AI Can Make the Economy Better & Why AI Pessimists Are Wrong ft. Eric Seufert

    Eric Seufert, the mind behind Mobile Dev Memo, released a 4-part series called The Prosperous Society. In it, Eric lays out a deeply optimistic case for AI's impact on the economy: as AI-enabled tools reduce the friction around both production and distribution, the binding constraint flips from production to distribution, and the digital advertising economy becomes accessible to businesses that were previously locked out entirely. He argues this leads to a collapse of the Pareto Principle, where products no longer need massive audiences to be viable, and consumers get matched with the exact products that fit their tastes — a state he calls "commerce at the limit." The conversation takes a sharp turn into why Eric is deeply skeptical of agentic commerce. His argument is simple: shopping is self-expression, and delegating purchases to an agent strips consumers of agency. He also points out the incentive structures don't work — Amazon and Walmart will never let third-party agents intermediate their platforms, and the data backs it up. Walmart's Sparky drives 40% more items per transaction, Amazon's Rufus hit $12 billion in incremental sales, and chat ads across platforms like ChatGPT are already past a billion in revenue. Eric also flags what he calls the coming "balkanization" of AI use cases, where platforms like Meta pull up the drawbridge around enterprise verticals like media buying with dedicated AI business agents. Thank you to our sponsors: AdQuick – Making OOH advertising as easy to plan, buy, and measure as digital. adquick.comThrad.ai — Building the advertising infrastructure for AI. thrad.aibeehiiv — The all-in-one platform for newsletters, websites, and every tool you need to grow and earn. beehiiv.comThe Farm — Fraction commercial legal with an in-house approach to outside counsel. thefarmllp.com STAY CONNECTED James on Twitter & LinkedIn – /jamesborow Daniel on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok – /danieldruger Subscribe & leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

    30 minutes: How AI Can Make the Economy Better & Why AI Pessimists Are Wrong ft. Eric Seufert

  3. Aug 27

    ADSN RUNDOWN | Humanoid Robots, Live Commerce, Anthropic's $2T Moment

    This week's ADSN Rundown covers a packed slate, starting with True Classic running QVC-style live video directly on its homepage and whether that model or agentic commerce has a better shot at reshaping e-com. Daniel and James dig into Nikita Bier's take on shipping fast at X, where press releases were written 20 minutes before launch, and why overthinking go-to-market is a trap. They break down reporting that Chinese institutions are building AI models of American voters to test political messaging, the implications for open-source models, and what it means for platforms like TikTok. Olivia Moore's data on agent token consumption makes the case that API-first product strategy is no longer a debate. The guys also cover Instagram's new in-comments site preloading, the 1840s origins of the word "slop" and its AI parallel, Josh Wolf one-shotting a full motion graphic video with Claude Code, and a humanoid robot running 100 meters faster than Usain Bolt at China's robot games. On the business side, Rohan Dar points out that Anthropic's rumored $2 trillion IPO would be four times larger than every San Francisco IPO in history combined. A new "Tech Trades" segment tracks major talent moves: Jeremy Voss and Alex Osborne joining Airbnb from Snap/Tinder, Eric Toda becoming CMO at Air, and Luke Kallis landing at Agbo, the gaming company co-founded by the creator of Fortnite and the Russo Brothers. Primary posts this week highlight Jeff Morris Jr. cold-texting Lance Armstrong for a bike ride and Ed O'Neill's masterclass in playing the long game when negotiating for Modern Family. Thank you to our sponsors: AdQuick – Making OOH advertising as easy to plan, buy, and measure as digital. adquick.comThrad.ai — Building the advertising infrastructure for AI. thrad.aibeehiiv — The all-in-one platform for newsletters, websites, and every tool you need to grow and earn. beehiiv.comThe Farm — Fraction commercial legal with an in-house approach to outside counsel. thefarmllp.com STAY CONNECTEDJames on Twitter & LinkedIn – /jamesborowDaniel on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok – /danieldrugerSubscribe & leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

    ADSN RUNDOWN | Humanoid Robots, Live Commerce, Anthropic's $2T Moment

  4. Aug 21

    30 Minutes: Peptides, GLP-1s and the DIY Health Revolution ft. Dr. Neil Paulvin

    "The health paradigm has totally changed. It's never going back to where you're just going to go see your doctor in the physical office and get treated. That's never going to happen again." Dr. Neil Paulvin, a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience in integrative medicine joins 30 Minutes to cut through the BS when it comes to peptides and DIY health. Dr. Paulvin has been prescribing peptides since 2017 and breaks down the six major categories, from anti-inflammatory and muscle building to the vanity stacks covering weight loss, hair, and skin. He explains why BPC-157, the most hyped peptide on social media, still lacks proper human studies because no one can patent it or justify the $5-10 million needed for clinical trials, and why marketing names like "Wolverine Stack" and "Glow" are made-up terms from unregulated sellers, not real medical protocols. The conversation covers where the industry is headed: big pharma is expected to control 75-80% of the peptide market within 3-5 years by patenting slightly modified versions of existing peptides. Dr. Paulvin also walks through retatrutide (GLP-3), which he calls the "home run of all home runs" but warns comes with significantly stronger side effects. He makes the case that peptides do work at the right dosing for the right patient, but stresses that Manhattan bodegas selling them at the front counter is a sign the industry has "jumped the shark," and that none of this replaces the fundamentals of sleep, exercise, diet, and stress management. Thank you to our sponsors: AdQuick – Making OOH advertising as easy to plan, buy, and measure as digital. adquick.comThrad.ai — Building the advertising infrastructure for AI. thrad.aibeehiiv — The all-in-one platform for newsletters, websites, and every tool you need to grow and earn. beehiiv.comThe Farm — Fraction commercial legal with an in-house approach to outside counsel. thefarmllp.com STAY CONNECTEDJames on Twitter & LinkedIn – /jamesborowDaniel on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok – /danieldruger Subscribe & leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

    30 Minutes: Peptides, GLP-1s and the DIY Health Revolution ft. Dr. Neil Paulvin

  5. Aug 18

    ADSN RUNDOWN | Agents Won't Kill Ads, YouTube Kills the View, Apple's API

    Daniel and James open with a run of ad-tech news that keeps circling one idea: everything is becoming an ads business, and agents won't change that. Starting from Antonio García Martínez's viral post, they make the case that the visible ad is just the tip of the iceberg — the targeting, attribution, and budgeting underneath is the real machine, and AI agents will simply inherit it. From there they hit Spotify testing a skip button that conveniently only skips publisher-sold podcast inventory, YouTube quietly redefining a "view" as an impression after years of setting the industry standard, and Apple's new unified campaign-management API, which James reads as step one toward an Apple Pay–powered audience network rather than a full DSP. The back half gets into the scramble for supply and the widening AI gap. Pinterest is buying its way out of being supply-poor with TV Scientific and a Zillow data deal that brings 34 audience segments back into play, while Andreessen and Ramp data shows the median company spending about $12 per employee each month on AI versus $7,500 at the top 1% — maybe the biggest adoption gap tech has seen. They also dig into a WPP rebate lawsuit that exposes how agencies really make their money, celebrate Snap-alumni startup Higgsfield's $400M raise at a $5.4B valuation, and close with primary posts on LeBron trading distribution dreams for a subscribe button, Gen Z moving 52% of their investing into sports betting, and James's theory that high interest rates are quietly making movies good again. Thank you to our sponsors:- AdQuick – Making OOH advertising as easy to plan, buy, and measure as digital. adquick.com- Thrad.ai — Building the advertising infrastructure for AI. thrad.ai- beehiiv — The all-in-one platform for newsletters, websites, and every tool you need to grow and earn. beehiiv.com- The Farm — Fraction commercial legal with an in-house approach to outside counsel. thefarmllp.comSTAY CONNECTEDJames on Twitter & LinkedIn – /jamesborowDaniel on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok – /danieldrugerSubscribe & leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

    ADSN RUNDOWN | Agents Won't Kill Ads, YouTube Kills the View, Apple's API

  6. Aug 13

    ADSN RUNDOWN | How Creators Took Over The Open Web

    Daniel and JB are back for the ADSN rundown and this week's theme is clear: the creator economy just became the main economy. They kick off with Orin John showing that creators can now link Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to Google Search Console — the first real step in creators becoming the new publishers. Then they break down YouTube doubling its monetization requirements and X relaunching its creator program, both cracking down on faceless AI channels. The message from every platform is the same: original content from verified creators wins, everything else is getting squeezed out. From there, Ari Seifer raises the white flag on the open web (it's dead, the walled gardens won), SpaceX's Starlink subscription flywheel reveals a $30B free cash flow path that should make every social network rethink its business model, and Satya Nadella says LinkedIn is merging four job titles into one — though LinkedIn employees in the comments aren't so sure. JB rebuilds his Situation Game with Claude and reports vibe coding has gotten dramatically better in just two months. They close with Primary Posts: Corgi's internal "Yapper Leaderboard" for team posting, and John Palmer's take that the most underrated hire right now is the "senior idea guy" — because with AI making execution easy, knowing what to build is the real bottleneck. Thank you to our sponsors: AdQuick – Making OOH advertising as easy to plan, buy, and measure as digital. adquick.com Thrad.ai — Building the advertising infrastructure for AI. thrad.ai beehiiv — The all-in-one platform for newsletters, websites, and every tool you need to grow and earn. beehiiv.com The Farm — Fraction commercial legal with an in-house approach to outside counsel. thefarmllp.com STAY CONNECTED James on Twitter & LinkedIn – /jamesborow Daniel on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok – /danieldruger Subscribe & leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

    ADSN RUNDOWN | How Creators Took Over The Open Web

  7. Aug 11

    30 Minutes: Self-Driving Cars Are Here And What It Means for You ft. Harry Campbell

    Episode One of an ADSN Original: 30 Minutes kicks off welcoming Harry Campbell, founder of Driverless Digest and one of the leading global experts on autonomous vehicles and mobility. He joins hosts James Borow and Daniel Druger to break down the state of the self-driving industry. Harry unpacks the Waymo vs. Tesla debate, explaining why Waymo has a massive safety and operational lead, but how Tesla's fleet scale could flip the script if they crack full autonomy. He walks through how LiDAR costs have plummeted upending Tesla's original camera-only thesis, and why Uber is facing an existential investor crisis as its Waymo partnership deteriorates and its stock underperforms. The conversation digs into regulation and the human cost of disruption, from taxi medallion collapses to the 110K Uber and Lyft drivers in New York City facing an uncertain future. Harry also breaks down the drone delivery boom in Texas, why near-zero delivery costs could create unlimited TAM, and what excites him most over the next 3-5 years as more AV companies enter the game. Whether you're a consumer, investor, or just someone who's been curious about getting into a Waymo, this is the episode to understand where autonomous vehicles actually stand today. Connect with Harry at: https://therideshareguy.com/https://www.thedriverlessdigest.com/ Thank you to our sponsors: AdQuick – Making OOH advertising as easy to plan, buy, and measure as digital. adquick.comThrad.ai — Building the advertising infrastructure for AI. thrad.aibeehiiv — The all-in-one platform for newsletters, websites, and every tool you need to grow and earn. beehiiv.comThe Farm — Fraction commercial legal with an in-house approach to outside counsel. thefarmllp.com STAY CONNECTED James on Twitter & LinkedIn – /jamesborow Daniel on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok – /danieldruger Subscribe & leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

    30 Minutes: Self-Driving Cars Are Here And What It Means for You ft. Harry Campbell

  8. Aug 6

    ADSN RUNDOWN | AI Slop Backlash, BMW the Ad Company?, and Arnold Flexes His App

    Rundown is back and this week is all about backlash. Backlash against AI slop, against automating parenting, and against putting ads in your $60K BMW. They kick off with LinkedIn testing a "Sounds Like AI Slop" button, Snapchat banning AI from Spotlight, and YouTube nuking 130,000 channels overnight. Then Sam Altman gets roasted for suggesting ChatGPT generate podcasts for his kids (just talk to your children, Sam), and OpenAI catches heat for hosting an influencer retreat. The through-line: the honeymoon phase with AI is over and consumers are pushing back hard. On the business side, Arnold Schwarzenegger's Pump Club app goes viral with a genius retention play — he pays your membership if you actually work out. BMW's Spider-Man display takeover shows exactly how not to monetize a premium brand. Orchid HQ proves controversial launch videos still cut through noise. And Mike Christo's 12-year-old son helped one-shot a full video game with Opus V — one prompt, 31,000 lines of code, making the case that OpenAI should be building a gaming platform. They close with Primary Posts: Daniel Burke's take on why the next billion-dollar companies won't come from people who've done it before, and Akash Gupta breaking down how The Odyssey cleared Oppenheimer's entire domestic run in 13 days on $0 of licensed IP. Thank you to our sponsors: AdQuick – Making OOH advertising as easy to plan, buy, and measure as digital. ⁠adquick.com⁠⁠Thrad.ai⁠ — Building the advertising infrastructure for AI. ⁠thrad.ai⁠beehiiv — The all-in-one platform for newsletters, websites, and every tool you need to grow and earn. ⁠beehiiv.com⁠The Farm — Fractional commercial legal with an in-house approach to outside counsel. ⁠thefarmllp.com⁠ STAY CONNECTED James on Twitter & LinkedIn – /jamesborow Daniel on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok – /danieldruger Subscribe & leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

    ADSN RUNDOWN | AI Slop Backlash, BMW the Ad Company?, and Arnold Flexes His App
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4.8
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

ADSN (The Ads Network) is a weekly show for people building and investing in ads, media, and monetization products. Every Tuesday, join James Borow and Daniel Druger as they bring over 30 years of experience to discuss the headlines and the why and how behind them. They also welcome industry leaders to go deep on topics in a fun and approachable format. Join the ADSN crew every Tuesday 🗓️

Information

  • Creator
    James Borow and Daniel Druger
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    124
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © James Borow and Daniel Druger
  • Show Website
    ADSN

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