(Preview) The End of the Ad-Supported Internet, Imagining What Comes Next, A Human-AI Agent PSA

In this episode of Sharp Tech, Andrew Sharp and Ben Thompson discuss the state of the web and the obsolescence of the ad-supported human internet model. Ben argues that while advertising has its downsides, it has enabled the creation and distribution of niche products and content, citing examples like the TinyPilot KVM switch and inexpensive goods from China. They critique the idea that the web's "original sin" was the lack of native payments, arguing that advertising has provided significant consumer surplus. The conversation touches on the challenges faced by newspapers in the internet age and the increasing ineffectiveness of advertising outside of major platforms like Google and Facebook.