System Alert: Founders on Fire, Formats in Flux

Founders panic, formats split, platforms override

The AI era isn't just accelerating production—it's destabilizing decision-making, warping incentives, and rewriting the logic of format itself. This week's signals reveal a pattern: panic at the executive level, intervention at the platform level, and emergence of entirely new content categories optimized for algorithmic consumption.

From Silicon Valley's existential sprint to Netflix's defensive guidelines, vertical soap operas outperforming premium streaming, and YouTube's quiet power grab over creator content, the through-line is agency. Who controls the pace of change? Who defines the output? Who owns the format?

AI Anxiety Rips Through Silicon Valley

The mood in Silicon Valley has shifted from cautious experimentation to something approaching existential dread. Airtable's CEO Howie Liu is restructuring his entire company around AI capabilities. Sequoia-backed startups are throwing out roadmaps to chase "AI-native" positioning. Executives are demanding their teams do the work of thre…