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Persuasion

Persuasion

Snake oil in a hoodie. Crypto scams, AI hype merchants, MLM-adjacent tech plays, and the recurring pattern of charismatic founders selling futures that conveniently never arrive.

8 Posts · May 12, 2013 – Mar 12, 2026
All posts
Mar 12, 2026 · 9 min read

The Room Was Already Set Before You Walked In

W11 - You have spent your whole life learning to spot the argument. Nobody told you the argument was never the point. The persuasion is the last nail. Pre-suasion is the house. And someone else already built it.

👁️ A Closer Look· Jun 19, 2025 · 10 min read

When Intelligence Becomes Its Own Enemy

W25 - You know that hollow feeling after three hours of phone scrolling? Eyes burning, neck aching, weirdly anxious about crises you can't solve but can't remember learning anything useful? That's your intelligence…

👁️ A Closer Look· Feb 27, 2025 · 10 min read

The $1.5 Billion Fishing Trip—How North Korea Caught the Biggest Crypto Whale Without Writing a Single Line of Code

W09 - North Korea's $1.5 billion crypto heist: No code, just a polite request. When state-of-the-art security crumbles with a click, who needs hackers? Dive into the tragicomic tale of how the world's most unhackable…

👁️ A Closer Look· Feb 14, 2025 · 11 min read

Love in the Time of Algorithms—An Open Letter to Valentine’s Day

W07 - Cupid's arrows now come tipped with algorithms. This holiday isn't just about love—it's a masterclass in emotional capitalism. Where sighs become sales, and even cynicism turns profitable. Resistance? That's just…

👁️ A Closer Look· Dec 27, 2024 · 8 min read

No One Leaves a Good Company: An OpenAI Story

W51 - OpenAI's fall from grace isn't just corporate drama—it's a chilling preview of how every ethical AI governance attempt could unravel. As we race towards AGI, are we dismantling the very safeguards meant to protect…

👁️ A Closer Look· Nov 21, 2024 · 16 min read

The Great Marketing Delusion: Rethinking Business Psychology in the Age of Perception

W46 - Forget spreadsheets! Businesses keep botching human psychology—the gap's so wide you could park a train in it! Think: billion-dollar companies, all math, no matter. Explore how understanding perception trumps…

👁️ A Closer Look· Apr 14, 2024 · 11 min read

The Art of Persuasion: How Aristotle's Ancient Wisdom Still Shapes Our World

W14 - Discover how Aristotle's ancient wisdom still shapes our digital world. From viral TED Talks to political debates, learn how ethos, pathos, and logos remain essential in modern persuasion. Uncover the timeless art…

May 12, 2013 · 6 min read

The Art of Confidence

The smoothest con man that ever lived. That’s what they say about Victor Lustig pictured above. His claim to fame is that he sold the Eiffel Tower, twice. Yup, that happened. He became fluent in multiple languages,…