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In this episode, CJ Gustafson, Kyle Poyar, and Ben Hillman dive into the concept of “sloponomics”—a tongue-in-cheek look at the overwhelming flood of mediocre AI-generated content and what it means for creators, startups, and investors. They discuss how unique voices and genuine creativity will stand out in an AI-saturated landscape, the economic parallels between modern content creation and startup growth, and the tricky dynamics of building sustainable momentum in a world of noise. The trio also unpack the “$10K MRR” meme, pricing psychology, and the difference between chasing vanity metrics and building lasting value. With humor and real-world insight, they explore how AI, distribution, and early-stage investment are reshaping what success looks like in tech and media.

Timestamps:

00:00 Preview and Intro

00:35 Being Mean to AI and Early Banter

02:05 When You’re Rude to AI: The Penn State Study

04:57 Sponsor – Metronome

06:02 The Rise of AI-Generated “Slop” Content

07:15 The Creator “Haves and Have-Nots”

09:00 Losing Credit to AI Models

11:20 Feeding the Beast: 400 Posts Later

13:13 “Slop Talk” and Human-Made Slop

14:27 The $10K MRR Meme and Startup Momentum

15:49 Pricing Psychology and Product Traction

17:42 Hunting Mice, Buffalo, and Elephants

20:19 Venture Funds, Bubbles, and Ecosystem Investing

23:39 When Startups Invest in Startups

26:25 Slack, Lattice, and the Platform Play

30:39 Wrapping Up and Late-Night Insights

33:12 The Hemingway Story and CJ’s No-Instagram Lifestyle

36:10 Electric Boats, Group Discounts, and Sign-Off

Episodes Referenced:

Slop Talk (coming soon)

⁠https://www.youtube.com/slackerstuff⁠

Why Only 2% of Startups Make It

When startups burn cash faster than they learn | Ivan Makarov:⁠

996 Culture, Exploding AI Bills & SaaS Chaos⁠

Links:

⁠https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/study-proves-being-rude-to-ai-chatbots-gets-better-results-than-being-nice-3269895/⁠

⁠https://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit07/internet07_02.phtml⁠

⁠https://futurism.com/altman-please-thanks-chatgpt⁠

⁠https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/over-50-percent-internet-ai-slop⁠

⁠https://www.axios.com/2025/10/14/ai-generated-writing-humans⁠

⁠https://www.economist.com/business/2025/10/16/sloponomics-who-wins-and-loses-in-the-ai-content-flood⁠

⁠https://x.com/madhuraaa_/status/1978390720881819884⁠

⁠https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/eat-what-you-kill⁠

⁠https://christophjanz.blogspot.com/2014/10/five-ways-to-build-100-million-business.html⁠

⁠https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/how-to-build-your-early-gtm-strategy⁠

⁠https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/startups-investing-in-startups-peak-bubble-behavior⁠

⁠https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/10/10/are-barefoot-shoes-good-for-runners⁠

⁠https://x.com/ivanomaksf/status/1978852000298320068?s=46⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/uber-offers-drivers-extra-pay-to-perform-tasks-that-train-ai-7116401/⁠

⁠https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/is-ltv-to-cac-the-nickelback-of-metrics⁠

⁠https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/final-2024-25-network-tv-ratings-tracker-high-potential-1236312223/⁠

⁠https://christophjanz.blogspot.com/2014/10/five-ways-to-build-100-million-business.html⁠

⁠https://www.theinformation.com/articles/ben-horowitz-hires-jensen-vercel-starts-venture-fund⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/chasemytail/

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com