Every Friday

How something feels matters just as much as how well it works.

, and

Mar 28, 2025

Feeling 🤝 Function

Happy Friday, team — we made it.

Every headline this week was either about Signal-gate (we truly can’t escape Veep) or yet another AI model rollout. The Gemini launch, in particular, caught our attention: a big leap in tech that landed with a whimper. The function worked - but the vibe didn’t.

Top of mind for us this week: when we’re online, how something feels matters just as much as how well it works.

Anyone trying to earn trust online doesn’t get to opt out of storytelling. Especially if you’re Google.

When you’re big enough to be defining marketplaces, you don’t just ship features - you set the tone for the internet. You define what’s possible, what’s encouraged, and what’s off-limits for creators, developers, and consumers alike. In a world increasingly centralized around a handful of tech giants, that tone matters. A lot. We can only curate our digital worlds insofar as Big Tech allows it.

And let’s be honest: if you’re under constant antitrust scrutiny, it’s in your best interest to feel like you’re building with people - not just for them, and definitely not over them. The vibe is the product. The story is part of the structure.

Big Tech doesn’t just have a brand - it has a worldview. And that worldview better feel legible, open, and human if we’re all forced to exist inside of it while it causes massive societal upheaval.

Maybe this whole conversation is really about tech feeling like it has a soul. Spending billions on functional AI isn’t the same as bringing people along with a clear story. That matters more than Silicon Valley seems to think. As we continue to build “god-level tech with no vibe,” please invite us in as users. Like Anthropic this week. They get it.

Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.
― Frank Lloyd Wright
Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form.
— Jean Luc Godard

Top of Mind

Behind The Screens

OpenAI's ChatGPT introduced an AI image generator capable of producing visuals in the distinctive style of Studio Ghibli (and many other artists), leading to renewed debates over copyright implications. We’re between techno-optimism and corporate cynicism. While there's a half-joking acceptance of accelerationist ideals - funneling all data into the AI furnace to build a silicone god - our main frustration lies in the profit motives driving Sama. The dream of an AI utopia feels a bit hollow when it's built on maximizing profit in the short term. In the end, no one here really trusts Sam to lead humanity anywhere but deeper into commodified innovation.
Mike Rockwell, the guy behind Vision Pro, is now running Siri. Let’s call it: Tim-Cook-Plays-Executive-Musical-Chairs (also everyone at Apple just turned 98, look it up). It’s a big pivot, especially with the (alleged) looming lawsuit claiming Apple hyped up Apple Intelligence before it was ever ready. Do we even want Apple Intelligence at this point? In other Apple news, Tim Cook green lights potential season 3 of Severance (Twitter) and is totally ok with Apple losing -$1,000,000,000 a year (Variety) on Apple TV.

From Washington

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen the group chat debacle heard ‘round the world. The text thread where cabinet officials discussed military plans to open shipping lanes through the Suez Canal and accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief. Whoops 👊🏻 🇺🇸🔥🙏🏼. It’s been dissected endlessly by people smarter than us but it deserves a spot here for the archive because it’s objectively Veep level comedy. The Admin’s response could not be more cursed. Somewhere Hillary Clinton is sipping a martini and firing back up her email server.
Noah Smith argues that Democratic-leaning states, like California and New York, slow development through restrictive policies and regulations, resulting in high housing costs and infrastructure challenges. In case you missed all the hype around Abundance, this was another nod to how the left can save itself. Here’s our review: Good read. Interesting ideas. Weak media tour.
Major progressive organizations have launched a Substack publication titled "How We Fight Back." This platform aims to provide political analysis and actionable guidance for supporters to oppose Trump, Elon Musk, and Republican initiatives. The coalition seeks to broaden its reach and influence, reflecting a strategic adaptation to contemporary digital media landscapes. We love to see lawmakers be in the know—lookout Substack.

Ctrl+Alt+Culture

Tiger Woods posted the most bizarre hard launch caption of his new relationship on instagram. She’s a certified NFHP (non-famous hot person) who previously dated a Saudi prince, a member of the Latin Kings & Leonardo DiCaprio before marrying (and divorcing) Don Junior. We respect the hustle, but damn, what a wild romcom her life would be.
The ongoing deportation case over Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil continues to be a flash point on our timelines this week. Conservatives are convinced it’s a case about protected actions and immigration while liberals are convinced it’s a case about protected speech. This podcast with Bari Weiss outlines the best case for both camps - its worth a listen if this case has you shouting your rage into the abyss (posting on twitter).
In large metropolitan cities (like the ones we all live) it’s sometimes easy to forget that a lot of people are getting help from somewhere. This piece: People With Parents With Money (New York Mag) highlights how people young & old are receiving assistance. It is important to remember “normal life” is not an even playing field, when you get caught up trying to keep up with the Jones.

ICYMI: Happy Hour Edition

Is it Time to Privatize the USPS (Charles Lane)
Substack Is Doing What Podcasts Did—What Could Possibly Go Wrong? (Bloomberg)
A Japanese Neighborhood Where Time Stopped (thepossiblecity)
The ALD Aesthetic (Mensweird)
Hunter S. Thompson’s Letter on Finding Your Purpose and Living a Meaningful Life (fs)
They Convinced you to Love Yourself So you’d Forget to Respect Yourself (more on this next week)

It’s Not That Deep, Randy

Yuuuuuuup @

Taylor Lewis

Thanks for reading—or for mega scrolling all the way down here.

The internet is an overwhelming mess of headlines, ads, and mid takes from the worst people you know. Big Tech owns our attention spans. Everything is content. Nothing makes sense.

We’re not here to “fix discourse” or “build a better internet.” Relay is just our attempt to riff on what we’re already talking about at happy hour without feeling like we’ve been hit by a content truck. Some analysis, some memes, call it a day.

Relay