ard
i would be fine with a 5 second brand mention, like “this youtube video is paid for by SoapTM”, quietly. And I’d probably think “thanks.” But it’s like they’re trying to overtake the content. Like you can’t enjoy your show because they’re worried you’re not thinking about their brand for the largest possible % of time.
I’ve always believed they were serious about learning. I remember being frustrated that people are often abusive instead of explaining why dumb thoughts are dumb but after like 10 years of multi-hour interviews with smart people they don’t seem to be making much progress. Maybe there is a constant inflow of new dumb listeners, and most last a few years and kind of graduate out of listening, but he has to stay the same for the whole thing to work.