| Hi, this is Vlad in Hong Kong. With the US election coming to a surprisingly swift resolution, we can now try to draw lessons about the role of internet media in it all. But first... Three things you need to know today: • Bitcoin rose to a record past $75,000 as Trump wins presidency again
• Nintendo’s next console will play current Switch games
• Apple to face the first-ever fine under the EU’s new digital antitrust rules Donald Trump is about to become president again, capping an extraordinary comeback in a campaign where he was convicted of felonies and survived two assassination attempts. He’s given his victory speech, world leaders from Germany to Israel have issued their congratulations and Elon Musk is posting memes about bringing sinks to the Oval Office. So how much credit do influencers like Joe Rogan deserve? Rogan, the world’s biggest podcaster, endorsed Trump just before election day and helped get the Republican candidate’s message out to a large, mostly male audience with a succession of lengthy interviews. Trump, his running mate JD Vance and star surrogate Musk all had sitdowns with the podcaster. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris did her own series of similar interviews in what’s already been dubbed the podcast election. Both campaigns recognized something research data has consistently shown, and which my own media consumption habits affirm: people are more hooked on podcasts than ever before and they tend to trust the hosts of those shows. Why are podcasts, which have been kicking around the internet for decades, so important today? There are many reasons, but I’ll limit myself to my own experience. Firstly, it’s a loneliness antidote. My podcast listening ballooned during the pandemic, when we all had to get creative to cope with the era of social distancing. The genre of seemingly unvarnished conversation — as practiced by Rogan and innumerable sports shows — proved a passable replacement for in-person get-togethers. And, unlike a real friend who I might only speak to occasionally, Rogan and his guests can keep me company for hours. They can be right there in my ear while I buy groceries, wash dishes, cycle to work, shoot hoops or edit photos. The intimacy and immediacy of that connection can’t be overstated. Inevitably, listeners develop a relationship with that voice (I recently lost interest in The Athletic Football Show after the departure of co-host Nate Tice, and ultimately subscribed to his new podcast). All of that sets up a situation where you not only listen but also heed what your favorite podcaster is saying — hence the common practice of having the host also read the ads. It’s the same reason brands spend big on celebrity endorsements. Now pour politics into that mix. This year, the commercial tug that many sports podcasters felt to get involved in the election discourse was too strong to ignore— which I’d not heard in prior years. Bill Simmons, known as The Sports Guy, did a whole segment about Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race. ESPN star commentator Stephen A. Smith also opined on the subject. It’s good business to pipe up on the hottest topic on the internet. And Rogan is the OG of politicizing podcasts. Listeners who might have initially tuned in to him for interviews with comedians or mixed martial arts fighters have been treated to conversations with the likes of Bernie Sanders, Tulsi Gabbard and Andrew Yang. And all the while, Rogan professes his complete lack of qualifications or expertise. For many, the roughness and meandering nature of Rogan’s shows is a sign of authenticity. It’s certainly appealing, and I have zero doubt about his passion for MMA, how he loves to hunt his own food or the sincerity of his belly laughs when making a guest try smelling salts for the first time. So even though I go elsewhere when I want to understand matters of politics or economics, I get why many others trust him. With people like Musk attacking the impartiality of what’s now dubbed legacy media, the question of which voices we collectively deem trustworthy and authoritative is proving ever more urgent. Still, even with his millions of followers and avid listeners, Rogan is not influential enough to swing the result of a presidential election on his own. And we might never know exactly how much of an effect he had. Because, unlike activity on social networks like Facebook and X, our podcast habits are largely private and out of sight. And that’s part of what makes them so effective.—Vlad Savov For many investors, Trump’s second term means closely monitoring X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Trump’s own social-media platform Truth Social, which he uses as his primary conduit to the public. “We used to call them Twitter bombs,” said Matthew Haupt, a portfolio manager at Wilson Asset in Sydney. “It is how he negotiates.” Netflix offices in Paris and Amsterdam were raided as part of a 2022 probe into alleged tax-related crimes and undeclared labor. Corning faces an EU antitrust probe amid suspicions it abused its market dominance to squeeze out rival makers of break-resistant smartphone screens. Tech accelerator Startupbootcamp and partners are planning a $250 million fund to invest in new African technology companies. Amazon backs a deal for nuclear power with Talen Energy to support a data center campus despite a snub by regulators. | 
