The world has no shortage of villains, and according to Jonathan Taplin, author of The End of Reality, Hollywood is currently up against four: Silicon Valley billionaires Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen and Elon Musk. “We have right now a culture of dystopia and nihilism,” says Taplin, who argues that ‘The Four’ are wreaking havoc yes, on politics and economics, but also popular culture by creating their own model of escapism, a role once filled by Hollywood. Taplin, director emeritus of USC’s Annenberg Innovation Lab, also addresses AI — and why artists will survive it above other professions. Also: SAG-AMPTP talks stall (6:12); Ari Emanuel and Bryan Lourd beef again (9:52); and Richard Rushfield’s plea for Hollywood to give people a sense of humanity (1:59).
Transcript here.
'A Culture of Dystopia and Nihilism'