Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

Internet reporter and YouTuber Taylor Lorenz joins Mixed Signals to make the case that the bipartisan push to get kids off social media is less about child safety than it looks. Max and Ben ask Taylor where the actual line is between moral panic and legitimate concern, why she thinks the academic consensus on social media and youth mental health is being drowned out, and her at times surprising anti-anti-AI stance.

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Social media consultant and “Link in Bio” newsletter author Rachel Karten joins Mixed Signals to explain what social media actually is in 2026. Max and Ben ask Rachel how the shift from follower-based to algorithm-driven distribution broke the contract between platforms and creators, why brands are quietly building their own shows without telling anyone they’re behind them, and what the regulatory gap around paid content is actually doing to the feed.

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Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl joins Mixed Signals — with Semafor business editor Liz Hoffman filling in for Ben — to explain what a record label actually does in a world where anyone can upload a song to Spotify. Max and Liz ask Robert why Warner struck a deal with AI music company Suno while Sony and Universal are still suing it, how he thinks about the nuclear-weapons-style leverage labels hold over streaming platforms, and why he thinks Netflix is leaving a massive opportunity on the table by ignoring music.

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Subway Takes creator and host Kareem Rahma joins Mixed Signals to talk about reinventing the talk show for the vertical video era, and just how much it costs. Max and Ben ask Kareem about how he built a show that feels spontaneous but runs like a TV production, why his Kamala Harris episode never aired, and his new show, Keep the Meter Running. They also get into his business model, what he learned from watching VICE go bankrupt, and much more.

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For more from Think with Google, check out ThinkwithGoogle.com.

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NBA personality and creative consultant Vic Jacobi joins Mixed Signals to talk about how she built one of the more unusual careers in sports media — starting from a Kobe Bryant Twitter follow in high school and turning it into a decade of courtside access, Fashion Week client work, and a branding studio in downtown Manhattan. Max asks Vic how she earned the trust of players who keep famously tight circles, what it means to be the person between an athlete and an agency, and why former NBA star Carmelo Anthony told her she needed to start getting paid for her work. They also get into who has the best "drip" in the league, why the "tunnel fit" era has peaked, and what it was like to navigate Ibiza with three Atlanta Hawks players who needed a plug for a yacht.

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For more from Think with Google, check out ThinkwithGoogle.com.

Find us on X: @semaforben, @maxwelltani

If you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com