Future Commerce

Cringe Sincerity and the Return of eBay


Listen Later

Phillip and Brian bring hot takes on eBay’s Met Gala presence, the latest tariff turmoil, and the future of autonomous driving. PLUS: Dissecting Warren Buffet’s retirement and new research on Gen Z vs. Millennial communication trends. 

The Y2K Bug Zapped Us Into PostmodernismKey takeaways:
  • Trends that feel like youth trends are actually just internet trends.  Their effects are now felt across generations, not siloed age groups.
  • There has been a shift from modernism to postmodernism, and in turn, sincerity to ironic insincerity.
  • Boy Meets World: 25 years after its series finale airs, we reflect on its sitcom era as a marker of TV’s transition from modernism and sincerity to postmodernism and ironic insincerity. 
  • Kendra Scott taps into Gen Alpha.
  • eBay returns to Brian’s radar and then sponsors the 2025 Met Gala. Coincidence?
  • “Understanding the society in which you live, and the cultural moment taking place, is taken for granted a lot.” – Phillip
  • “The Y2K bug was actually just the end of sincerity.” – Brian
  • “We’ve leaned so far into cheap goods for so long, there might be a memetic cycle happening now where we lean back into goods that are durable.” – Brian
  • “Autonomous driving is extraordinarily disruptive—just like AI is for information, AVs are for how we live, plan cities, and think about ownership.” – Phillip
In-Show Mentions:
  • The Guardian: Gen Z Is Turning to Voice Notes
  • Dirt.fyi: The State of A24
  • Titan Caskets: Grave Conversations
  • Waymo Partners with Toyota
Associated Links:
  • Check out Future Commerce on YouTube
  • Join Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and print
  • Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world
  • Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Future CommerceBy Phillip Jackson, Brian Lange

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

83 ratings


More shows like Future Commerce

View all
a16z Podcast by Andreessen Horowitz

a16z Podcast

1,034 Listeners

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish by Shane Parrish

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

2,645 Listeners

Pivot by New York Magazine

Pivot

9,202 Listeners

Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy by Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts

Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy

2,317 Listeners

Masters of Scale by WaitWhat

Masters of Scale

3,995 Listeners

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett by DOAC

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

7,087 Listeners

The Peter Attia Drive by Peter Attia, MD

The Peter Attia Drive

7,928 Listeners

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

9,189 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,448 Listeners

Coaching Real Leaders by Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins

Coaching Real Leaders

652 Listeners

Plain English with Derek Thompson by The Ringer

Plain English with Derek Thompson

2,202 Listeners

HBR On Strategy by Harvard Business Review

HBR On Strategy

84 Listeners

HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

HBR On Leadership

151 Listeners

OPERATORS by OPERATORS

OPERATORS

45 Listeners

Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

Prof G Markets

1,127 Listeners