News from LHCHQ
Greetings from our currently-being-renovated office in Greenpoint, where this newsletter is coming to you a day late because we've been busy integrating new technologies into our workflow.
Things at LHC continue apace: we're busy hanging decals on our walls, painting the floors, and flying into a rage when they don't have Mallomars available on Amazon Prime Now. We're also planning multiple weddings and debating the merits of sharing our registries on this newsletter. Anyone interested in buying us a vintage pickup truck?
On to the #content:
The world's most valuable company is relying on the world's most undervalued commodity
This newsletter is actually a day late because we wanted to come with the PIPING HOT TAKES on Apple's big event yesterday. In case you were hiding under a rock/are an Android user (Hi Kyle!), the big news is that Apple is getting into original video content a la Netflix, as well as launching a $10/month subscription news service that's basically a souped up version of Apple News. Which is to say, the world's most valuable company has decided that the way forward is as a content company.
Smarter newsletters than this one will debate the strategic merits of moving into content, but we were struck by how often Apple touched on the human aspect of its new services as a key differentiator:
"Our editors pick the best stories every day," said Tim Cook when talking about Apple News.
"Apple's expert editors are like the friend you have that always knows the best shows on TV," said Apple TV's Peter Stern.
"Our editors need to be laid off so we can cut costs," said like every media exec over the past 20 years.
OK we made that last one up, but for those of us who've had the misfortune to work in media for the last decade or so, it's been a long time since editorial expertise has been a highly desirable resume bullet. Editors have become used to having their work undervalued, misunderstood, and tktkt.
But it turns out in the age of algorithms, where companies like YouTube and Netflix use increasingly sophisticated technology to surface anti-vaxxer videos and sign Adam Sandler to four-picture deals, Apple sees an opportunity to distinguish themselves with experienced humans. This experience used to be called "news judgement"; now it's often called "content strategy".
But whatever we decide to call it next, it's a kind of expertise who's value is becoming more and more apparent.
What We're Listening To
Jenny Lewis’ new album fucking SLAPS. We highly recommend you stop what you’re doing and listen to it at your earliest convenience.