Culture & Code

In this episode of Culture and Code, Rei and Tara discuss the recent popularity of fictional characters like K-Pop Demon Hunters and Labubu and what we can learn about relatability and escapism.

They explore the concept of escapism and its appeal through multidimensionality and contradiction, making these characters relatable. The conversation delves into the unexpected success of K-Pop Demon Hunters on Netflix, the strategic missteps by Sony, and how modern brands could leverage multidimensionality in their narratives. 

Sony’s misstep and Netflix’s luck

• Sony’s $100M misstep and Netflix’s $20M investment
• Kpop Demon Hunters to become the No.1 hit of all time for Netflix
• Netflix wins with experimentation, not bets

Multidimensionality of Characters

• Contradictions make characters relatable
• Emotional depth appeals across ages

Escapism vs. Relatability

• Fantasy works best when grounded in truth
• Audiences crave layered, imperfect personas
• Tension drives authenticity and interest
• AI will reshape how stories are tested and scaled
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• Kpop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
• Labubu (Pop Mart)
• Why escapism is the new marketing currency (Vogue Business)

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Rei Inamoto 

Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore. 

• Rei's LinkedIn
• Newsletter "The Intersection"
• Rei's global innovation firm I&CO

Tara Tan

Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing. 

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• Newsletter "The Strange Review"
• Tara's VC firm Strange Ventures

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Culture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.

In the inaugural episode of Culture & Code, hosts Rei Inamoto and Tara Tan dive deep into a fascinating contrast in the tech world: the billion-dollar data labeling company you've never heard of versus the AI giants dominating headlines. Through the lens of Surge AI's remarkable bootstrap success story, they explore whether obsessive craftsmanship can triumph over venture-backed hype machines in Silicon Valley and beyond.

The Billion-Dollar Bootstrap Nobody Knows

• Surge AI: $1B+ annual revenue, zero venture funding, completely bootstrapped
• Outperforming Scale AI despite Scale's massive funding rounds
• Secret sauce: treating data labeling as craft, not commodity

Quality vs. Hype in the AI Race

• OpenAI's GPT-5 launch: productization over breakthrough
• The power of narrative in tech (why your dad knows ChatGPT but not Claude)
• "Hype as infrastructure" - why some companies need buzz to compete with infinite capital

Craftsmanship in Code

• Programming as poetry, not just problem-solving
• The Japanese coffee shop principle: first principles thinking in everything
• Why a clean kitchen makes better sushi (and better software)

• The Information (tech publication that broke the Surge AI story)
• Surge AI
• Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Netflix documentary)
• Jacques Marie Mage (luxury sunglass brand exemplifying quality over hype)

Rei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore. 

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Rei's LinkedIn

Newsletter "The Intersection"

Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing. 

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Newsletter: The Strange Review

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This is the official first episode of Culture & Code, a podcast about patterns in tech, business, and culture. New episodes weekly.

In the final episode of Season 1 of Hitmakers, Rei and Ana look back at the core themes that their discussions revolved around: how great products build great brands, why creativity is a mindset not an output, and why the most important thing of all is to care about the work that you are doing.

• IKEA April Fools
• Nike Trolls New Balance and Cooper Flagg with 4 Words
• MayoHaters by NotCo
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• New book "Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture"

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Demi Moore has a house for her doll collection. David Beckham relaxes by assembling Lego kits. Board games are the preferred Saturday night pastime. Selling toys to adults is a big business, and in this episode, Rei and Ana unpack the reasons behind bag charms, AFOLs (Adult Fans of Lego) and popularity of brand mascots. Rather than seeing these trends as mere nostalgia, we suggest that consumers are increasingly comfortable with the blurred lines between reality and imagination, spurred by AI.

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Some of the biggest global brands are tech companies (Apple, Google, Samsung, Nvidia), and in this episode, Rei and Ana explore the branding strategy behind technology. From myth-making to a seamless omnichannel experience to translating narratives into user interface, we are looking at how branding of tech is different.

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The culture of hype (streetwear, cronuts, Gone Girl, Hamilton...) got replaced by the society of spectacle (fashion shows, Olympics, SuperBowl, Barbieheimer). Everything is a spectacle if you lead with celebrities, promote it wildly, and spend enough money on it. Spectacles grab our attention and fizzle in one summer or shorter. In this episode, Rei and Ana talk about SuperBowl's half show, why sports is the only thing that unifies us these days, and whether can hype make a comeback.

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When algorithm flattens cultural markets, how to create against this backdrop? When everything is “meh,” winners are the surprising, the unexpected, and the different. The problem is, these things succeed in niches - offline communities, small groups, and subcultures. They are created in niches, and usually stay there. In the winners-take-all markets, scaling requires algorithms. Can brands bridge this dichotomy? What are the success stories of innovation in the meh world? Is it even financially possible for a brand to disrupt itself before someone else does? In this episode, Rei and I use once-innovative brands as examples of what happens when disruption goes analog.

• Meh-ification, the plot thickens? by Beth Bentley
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Creativity is not just an ideas game. More than anything, it’s a matter of process, organization, and the problem-solving abilities of the “backend” office. McKinsey study found that companies that prioritize creativity have 67 percent higher organic revenue growth than those who do not. Yet, creativity, despite its superior business value, is often siloed in “creative” departments like marketing, design or creative. Creativity is a company-wide mandate, and in this episode, Rei and I talk about how that looks like, which brands successfully implement it, and how to organize for creativity.

• The Changing Role of Design By Rei Inamoto
• @toraya.wagashi
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What is culture? Culture can mean a lot of different things, and in this episode we zero in on our working definitions, along with the brands, consumer behaviors, and trends that we can expect to see more of in 2025

Show notes:

• How to build brand energy by Grace Gordon
• Marcijuš AI Studio
• Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas
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Follow Ana here:

• Newsletter "The Sociology of Business"
• New book "Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture"

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• Rei's global innovation firm I&CO

In their last episode of 2024, Ana and Rei talk about predictions. Rather than predicting the future, companies should set themselves out for the future's inherent unpredictability. In this context, we unpack why "boring" brands are set to succeed, why smart glasses are going to be big, and why the retail middle may be coming back, thanks to Substack and AI. We wish everyone a happy new year!

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Follow Ana here:

• Newsletter "The Sociology of Business"
• New book "Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture"

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• Rei's LinkedIn
• Newsletter "The Intersection"
• Rei's global innovation firm I&CO