Boy does this sum up a lot of the problems in the tech world and the web in general…
“There's no better example of this than what I affectionately refer to as "CEO said a thing!" journalism. "CEO said a thing!" journalism involves parroting the claims of a business leader or executive with absolutely no context, correction, or challenge whatsoever, no matter how elaborate the delusion.
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The grand irony is I'm not even sure most people click on or read this sort of stuff. I don't think it's often even created to be read by anyone. I think it's created as a sort of swaddling fan fiction for MBAs, advertisers, event sponsors and sources, so they can tune out ethical quibbles and feel good about how clever they are.
The result is a sort of alternative reality journalistic simulacrum that kind of looks like journalism, but genuinely isn't interested in any context or truth that upsets the apple cart. It's a sort of journalistic Ken Doll with the genitals sanded off to a smooth hump to avoid offending anyone. “